The Stone and the Tree
by kgravel3
Summary: Destiny has brought her to the company, and only Frea can help to save Erebor. but will a difficult dwarf make things harder for the half dwarf?
1. Chapter 1

I awoke to my mother shaking me, her eyes wide with fear. Her red hair fell over her face as she pulled me out of bed and handed me a pair of trousers. Her pale green eyes darted around the room as she shuffled me about, jumping at the muffled noises coming from outside.

"Stay quiet, Frea and dress quickly." She whispered as she rushed from one side of the room to the other, packing a bag full of my clothes and belongings. I was terrified at what was going on. The sky through the small window was dark, and yet it sounded as if there was a huge commotion outside our small began handing me more clothes to wear before placing a grey cloak on my shoulders.

"Where are we going?" I squeaked, not understanding why I was the one getting ready to travel and not her. She didn't say a word, only kept her eyes on the front door, guiding me quietly to the back one. People were running back and forth, trying to get children moving to the horse herd on the edge of the village. With one last look around the corner, Mother made a dash for the herd, a bridle in hand. Men were shouting to one another, sounds of metal clashing and horrible grunts and snarls from something I had never seen before. I tried to look back to see what was going on, but my mother kept me moving, refusing to let me see. Mother let out a low whistle and our grey horse came trotting over, hoping for a treat. In an instant, Mother was forcing the bit into his mouth. Just then, a woman began screaming. I looked back to see an hideously ugly creature standing above her son's body, his large sward coming down at her next. Fear froze me to the ground as I watched the Orc march over to us, blood glistening on the steel weapon. I had only ever heard stories of the monsters, but the Orc in front of me was something even more terrifying than the stories. My mother lifted me onto the horse and handed me the bag.

"Run, Frea and don't come back here." She commanded, looking back at the creature coming at us. When she turned back, fear was in her eyes.

"What about you?" I cried, grabbing a hold of the horse's mane. My fingers trembled as the Orc went after another mother. Children were put on horses and they were all leaving in different directions, trying to look back as the animals took off across the sloping land, running mostly from fear of the fire and smell of death.

"I'll be fine. Go now!" She yelled, turning the horse to the west. I attempted to swing my leg over to get down, but there was a crack of her hand hitting the horse's flank and he jumped forward, racing away from my mother's hand. I held on for my life, burying my face into his grey mane. I didn't dare look back, tears streaming down my face. The cries and yelling followed me until we crested a hill, running wildly across the fields.

The grey horse underneath me shivered at the smell of burning flesh rushed across the land on the wind as he slowed to a walk. The black plumes rose from the side of the mountains as the village I lived in was destroyed. An orange haze filled the eastern sky from the fires. The Orcs that had descended onto the small village at the base of the Blue Mountains didn't follow me, so I let the horse continue to walk until we reached the river. The noises of the night seemed louder and scarier as we went along, every rustle of grass making my heart jump into my throat. The moonless night made it harder to see where we were going, but the grey horse picked his way across the plains being careful not to trip. Every so often, I would turn to look back, but the only thing visible was an orange haze on the horizon. If I looked hard enough, there were figures on the tops of the hills, walking up and down the crest as if looking for something. My eyes always tried to see if the figures were moving down the hill, but it soon became too distant and I hoped that they weren't trying to find me. The waters looked like silver in the pale moonlight as the horse dropped its head to gulp down the water. I slowly climbed down, my muscles taut from holding on so tightly, causing them to shake from fear and cold.

Sobs racked my shoulders as I sat on the edge of the river Baranduin, pulling the cloak around me tightly for some warmth. Everyone was most likely dead and I was alone. The cold set in around me and my eyes scanned the river bed, looking for any danger. Suddenly, there was a tall figure on the opposite shore atop a horse. I gasped and stood up quickly, grabbing the small dagger in my belt. I knew it wasn't an Orc, but fear was the only thing controlling my body.

"Child, I don't want to harm you." He said, holding his hands up in surrender. His horse then crossed the river, coming to a stop near me. The man dropped down to the ground and knelt in front of me. He wore a green hood over his face and the only thing I could make out was his pointed chin which was covered in scruff.

"What is your name?" He asked in a calm voice. I sniffled and wiped at my face before answering him in a small voice.

"Frea." I mumbled, looking under the man's hood. He nodded, pulling his hood down so I could see his face in the light of the half moon. He had an angular and hard face, with piercing brown eyes. His lips were thin, a slight smile upon them.

"Named after the great King of Rohan no doubt. You are a survivor, much like him. Come, I will take you somewhere safe." He told me, standing to his full height. I held my breath but he turned to me and offered a hand. The nervousness left me as my fingers came in contact with the soft palm of his leather glove. The man lifted me up onto his horse before mounting behind me. Warmth radiated from his chest and the chill of loneliness thawed from my bones. The front of his green cloak wrapped around in front of me and soon we were off to the north, the grey horse keeping up behind us.

"Can I know your name, sir?" I called meekly, tilting my head back to look up at the man. He glanced down at me for a second before giving me a smile. His teeth were white and shown in the darkness.

"Hamen." He replied simply. The arms on either side of me tightened slightly as he spoke again. "Get some sleep, Frea. We have a long way to go and the night is still young." I nodded in response as the fatigue of the night raid wore down on me. I had no more tears to cry, so the only other thing to do was sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

I dodged the sword that swiped at my shoulder, parrying and countering. Hamen smirked as he caught his breath. I smiled back, swinging my sword in my hand before lunging at him once more, hoping to catch him off guard. We sparred for a few more minutes in the Ranger base until I disarmed Hamen and caught his sword. As I smiled in victory, Hamen stood still waiting for me to come closer. In an instant, I was brought to the ground, my own sword pointed at me.

"Always make sure you stop your opponent. No matter what. Even if you take their weapon, they have nothing more to lose, so they will risk their lives to take you with them." He said, withdrawing my sword from my neck and offering me a hand. When our hands met, I pulled hard and brought him to the ground, pulling out my dagger and holding it to his throat as I sat on his back.

"Like that?" I asked. He chuckled and nodded, careful not to nick his neck.

"You learn quickly." He praised as I got off his back, letting him stand. I smiled at the man. Hamen had raised me since he had found me. He was much older now, but he was still strong enough to help me spar. In the past fifty years, he traveled with me behind him all over Middle Earth, teaching me new things and learning more about me as well. When I reached thirty and looked no older than sixteen, he knew I wasn't fully human. He began training me to be a Ranger of the North, much like him. We sparred, shot arrows at targets, and survived off the land.

"I had a good teacher." I retorted, earning a chuckle from Hamen. We walked to the side, taking a seat on a fence to catch our breath. As I looked at my mentor, I noticed how much time had aged him. His brown hair was now a dark grey and eyes had wrinkles from squinting in the light of the sun. His dark eyes were as keen as ever, though, and he could run for miles without tiring. But he was much slower than when I was a child, and he had begun to stay for longer periods of time at the camp, mainly training new recruits.

"I think you are ready. Ready to go out on your own patrol. Without me tailing you." He said, giving me a sad smile. Hamen had always been a father to me, so I knew it caused him to worry about me when I was off on my own and not under his protection. My hand rested on his shoulder as I smiled up at him. His large hand covered mine and we sat like that for a long while. That is until the sound of a cart came to our ears. Every Ranger moving about the camp stopped to listen. Not many travelers came out this way, so the sound seemed foreign to us. Many stood with their hands on their weapons, expecting an attack while others smiled, as if they knew who was coming down the small path.

Just then, a small cart came into view and an old man with grey robes and a tall grey hat sitting in the front of the cart. His long white beard hung like a curtain from his chin. The brown horse slowly came to a stop in front of us and the old man smiled out. His smart eyes studied Hamen and I as Hamen let out a jovial laugh.

"Well, you've grown since the last time I saw you, Frea." The old man commented, a wry smile on his lips. I laughed and shook my head at him.

"It has been a while, Gandalf." I replied, standing up to greet the wizard. He climbed out of the cart and towered over me, placing a large hand on my shoulder. Every one was taller than me, but Gandalf made me feel like an ant next to an Oliphant.

"I am actually glad you are here. This is much easier than tracking you two down in the middle of the Old Wood or heading to Rohan. I was hoping to ask you for a favor, young one. " He said, his face turning grave. My happiness sobered as I nodded, Hamen leading the way to our small tent. Gandalf sat in the entrance as I stood inside, my arms folded while I listened to his request. Hamen made tea on the small campfire in front of us and handed Gandalf and I each a cup. The wizard gave me details that a group was leaving from an area not far from here and traveling to the area south of the Iron Hills, and they needed a person who knew the terrain and towns to aide them.

"So you need me to be a guide for a group?" I clarified, arching on of my brows at the old wizard as I took a sip of my drink. He nodded and rested his hands on his knees. Even though Gandalf was well traveled, there were many passages, nooks and crannies that even he didn't know about sometimes. Rangers covered ever inch of land in Middle Earth and it helped when getting the quickest route to a destination and the dangers that could await.

"From what I have heard, you are the most knowledgable about the terrain from here to the Iron Hills and every spec of dirt in between, next to Master Hamen of course. We need someone who is quick and who knows all these things like her own hand. And we need a level head, some of the company member are a little hotheaded." He informed me, his sharp eyes studying me. I looked down at my boots, letting my dark red braid fall over my shoulder. With a sigh, I met his gaze again.

"I can do that, but I must go on a scouting trip to the Blue Mountains to find an Orc pack first. Sightings of them have been seen and a fellow Ranger and I were asked to find where they are making camp. When do you and your companions need to depart?" My eyes looked over to Hamen as I spoke. He was watching me as well, his brown eyes meeting my green ones. We both trusted Gandalf, but his adventures were known to be dangerous.

"We will be meeting at this address in the Shire. I imagine you know how to get here." He stated, passing me a folded parchment with the name of a hobbit on it. Bilbo Baggins.

"I have passed through once or twice." I commented, giving a smile at the name. Bilbo and I had a run-in out in the forest surrounding Bag End a few years ago. Both of us were so quiet that when we came face to face, Bilbo jumped back with a cry as I had gotten into a fighting stance. After we settled, Bilbo talked to me for a few hours, asking about the places I had been and other things. A nice hobbit from the memory I had of him. He even invited me over to have tea some time.

"Good, well I must be off. There are a few things I need to prepare before we meet. Farewell Hamen, Frea." Gandalf said, standing to his full height. With that, the wizard paced to the cart and was off again, trotting down the road he came. I turned to Hamen and he gave me a sigh.

"Keep a close eye out when you go with him. He may be a friend, but he has many enemies. Not everyone appreciates the meddlesome wizard." He warned, squaring his shoulders slightly. I nodded, understanding his worry.

"Maybe we will meet someone along the way who knows about my past and who my father was. Not knowing who I am or who my father is has been haunting me since I came here." I confided, digging the toe of my boot into the dirt. Hamen nodded, giving me a sympathetic smile. My mother had always told me my father left before I was born, but that he would return one day. I stopped believing her when the Orcs attacked and he wasn't there to protect us. No man would be able to find me now, even if they were a skilled tracker.

"Well, you better get ready for your scouting trip. Tobin said he wanted to leave as soon as possible." Hamen said, changing the topic. I nodded as he left, beginning to pack the few things I had. Once I was set, I left the tent to find Tobin waiting for me with two horses. He was much taller than me, like most of the Rangers here, but he was lanky, and a mop of mousey hair on the top of his head. His crooked nose was splattered with freckles and he had blue eyes. A lopsided smile greeted me as I drew near.

"Let's find these Orcs before they disappear again." He said with a grin, handing me the reins to the black mare. I shouldered my pack and mounted, pulling my green hood over my head to cover my eyes from the sun. Tobin followed suit and soon we were walking through the base, receiving farewells from other Rangers. Hamen was at the black smith's forge, a sad, tight-lipped smile on his lips as I waved to him. Soon the base was lost in the thick woods surrounding us, all sounds of the people there disappeared with it. Our horses picked up a canter, running south to the Blue Mountains. The trip took two days of hard riding, resting only to let the horses breath and have a drink. In no time, the mountains towered ahead and the memory of my village burning when I was a child came to me. My hands gripped tightly on the reins in anger and hatred for the Orcs. Tobin studied the ground as we walked through the open space, looking at the trampled earth and grass.

"There are Orc and warg tracks all over the place. They seemed to have been looking for something." Tobin said as he turned his horse around to look at the different tracks. Huge paw prints and heavy footprints were clearly seen on the ground and we followed them to the base of the mountains. The sound of the camp reached us as we got closer and I gritted my teeth. It was coming from the village ruins. My first instinct was to run into the village and avenge my mother's death by slaughtering them all, but Gandalf needed me and it was too risky by the sound of the camp. Tobin dismounted and crawled up the side of the hill, peaking over to look at the camp while I stayed with the horses. Soon, he was racing back down the hill, fear on his face.

"There has to be at least fifty in the camp, and probably more scouts. We need to leave now." He said in a rushed voice as he vaulted onto his horse. Just as I swung up into the saddle, an arrow whizzed by my shoulder, startling us all. I wheeled my mare around and saw the Orcs riding for us. I urged my horse into a gallop, taking off ahead of Tobin back north. The wargs gained on us, drawing closer. Jaws snapped at the horses hooves, only making them run faster.

"Tobin!" I yelled over the wind and the snarls of wargs, "You need to get back to base and tell them of the news. I will lead them away. Go!" He hesitated for a moment before nodding, urging his horse to run faster, breaking away from me. A warg rider followed him but I aimed my bow, killing the warg and throwing the Orc to the ground face first. The rest stayed with me, slowly dropping back as the wargs grew tired. My mare kept on, her black coat covered in white foam from the fear and adrenaline coursing through her. Once I was far enough ahead, I rode into the forest surrounding the South Downs, the thick brush slowing the wargs considerably. After reaching deeper into the woods, I jumped off the mare and spooked her into running away, myself running west to the Shire. I tread as lightly as I could, barely leaving an impression on the forest floor. It would take a lot of skill for the Orcs to follow my tracks, which I knew these scouts were too dimwitted to look that closely. My trick worked and the orcs followed the horse, which was unfortunate for me because I had to continue on foot.

"Hopefully Tobin gets back there safely." I mumbled with a sigh as I made my way across the terrain. The journey would be long, but I had the time.


	3. Chapter 3

In the early morning hours before dawn, lamplight was visible along Baranduin. The sight of the town made me smile and I knocked on the gate door. It had taken me five days to get to Bree, and a steady rain had fallen the night before, soaking into my heavy cloak.

"Who goes there?" The gatekeeper asked, looking out through the peephole. I lifted my hood slightly, letting him see my face. He didn't recognize my face, but enough rangers passed this way on the way to the gate guarding the Shire that the Bree-folk knew our attire.

"Ah, a ranger! We haven't seen ye 'round in a while. Come in, ye looked soaked from las' night's rain." I gave him a nod in satisfaction and headed to the tavern. The Prancing Pony was the only place in town that served a decent meal this early in the morning, so I slipped in and sat in the corner, studying everything. As the owner of the bar gave me food and a cup of wine, two older looking dwarves walked through the door. The tavern hushed for a moment to look at the two outsiders before low conversations began again. The two sat not far from me, asking for pints of ale and meat. Their talk was so loud that I could hear everything they said without trying too hard. I nursed my cup of wine as I listened, giving airs that I was lost in thought.

"Why did he want us to all meet in the Shire? This place seems very far out of the way to start the trip." The older one said, his hair grey with old age. He was a portly dwarf with a rotund belly and a long white beard. His brown eyes twinkled with curiosity.

"He told me that we were to meet two other people that would be joining us and they were to meet us there. I know one is supposed to be a burglar, but I don't remember what the other person is supposed to be." The other dwarf responded, his eyes studying everyone in the room. He had a bald head and a thick brown beard, tattoos covering his scalp and arms. He was much stronger than his companion, the muscles apparent even under his traveling cloak. They talked more about going to the Shire, which peaked my interest, but I said nothing, gathering my things and going to the bar to pay. By now, the men in the bar had resumed their talks and many of them were fairly drunk, talking loudly to one another. As I was standing there, an old man was complaining to his friend. He had bony hands and a evil look about him. An air of greed and arrogance flowed off him in buckets, making just standing near him unbearable.

"That lazy horse of mine won't do anything, it takes a good beating to get him to go anywhere. That bastard bit me the other day! Can ye believe it? I gave him a good thrashin' right on the head." He thundered, hitting his hand hard against the wood top from emphasis. Most of the bar heard him but ignored the man, giving the impression that this was a common complaint from the old man. Only the dwarves looked over at the man with disgust, but left the matter alone. I did so as well until he said he'd gladly sell the horse to whoever even offered him a piece of copper. With my mare being gone to the wind, the opportunity to acquire a new steed was appealing to me.

"I'll take him off your hands." I said, turning my head slightly. With my hood firmly in place, the man stumbled on his words, befuddled as to why a Ranger was interested in his animal. When we passed through towns, Rangers hardly interacted with the townspeople.

"He won't get ye far. The thing is lazy and fat. Had to cut back on his food, he's hungry all the time." The man mumbled, visibly wishing he could take back his words. I opened my pouch and after paying for my meal, gave the man the rest. His face lit up at the coins, the drunken eyes filled with greed. And I had no need for it, living off the land was more preferable than paying for meals and other things.

"He's outside tied to the post. Take the nag. Good riddance" The man said quickly, digging his fingers into the bag. As I left, I noticed the dwarves watching me as I went with looks of surprise in their eyes, the older one even smiling into his ale. The chestnut horse stood with his head low, a look of depression in his eyes. As I approached, he shot his head up, expecting a beating.

"Easy." I cooed, letting the animal sniff my hand. My other hand produced the half of bread I had saved for myself, which he ate hungrily. His bones stood out against his hide, but he was still strong enough to bear my weight, though not faster than a walk. No wonder he was hungry; he was starved half to death. I swung into the saddle and headed out of town, allowing the horse to grab at any grass along the way. He was more than happy to let me ride him because of my lack of whip and that my hand was gentle on his mouth, which I had noticed was scared from a harsh bit and yanking from his previous owner.

Upon reaching a nice meadow on the side of the road, I hoped off the horse and removed his tack, allowing him a few hours of grazing, which he happily dropped his head and devoured as much grass as he could. My back rested against a small stone wall and I watched the animal, resting and napping before I continued on to Bag End. All too soon for the horse, I had tacked him up again and started to move down the road as the sun began moving to the west.

The Shire came into view and I smiled at the peacefully scene. Hobbit children ran along the lanes and in the gardens while the older hobbits worked or relaxed. As I rode through, many stared but when I offered a smile and a wave, they were happy to return it. The children were fascinated by me, having only seen the Rangers on the edge of the Shire from a distance. Their big eyes stared up at me with wonder and awe. When Bag End came into view, I dismounted and walked the rest of the way, dropping my hood from the top of my head. I doubt I would be remembered, but I wanted to approach as a friend.

It was early evening when I came to Bilbo Baggins' house. On his green door was a rune of a language I hadn't known. It obviously was intentional and it shown with a magical essence.

"Gandalf must have put that there." I mumbled to the horse, who snorted at me lazily. Once I tied the horse to the fence, I walked to the door and knocked. Little feet ran to the door and mumbling could be heard about who would be visiting. The door opened and a hobbit was standing there in a robe. He looked up at me in surprise as I looked him in the eye.

"May I help you?" He said rather confused, but welcoming nonetheless. I bowed and gave him a smile.

"I am Frea Ashmountain and a friend of mine sent me here. He said I was to meet him and few more. But we have met before little halfling." I told him, letting him see my face fully. Realization came to him as he laughed.

"Frea! I remember now. We crossed paths in the woods and had a grand time." He said, resting a hand on his stomach. I nodded and smiled. The small hobbit looked no different from the last time I saw him, except his hair was more tame.

"By chance do you have a place where I can let my horse graze? He hasn't had his fill of food yet." I asked, moving aside so the hobbit could see the thin animal. With compassion, Bilbo was calling for his gardener, Hamfast, who took the horse to the far side of the fence, watching me carefully as he went. I gave the gardner a smile, but he didn't return it, only stared at me until he was out of sight.

"Come in, please. I was just about to eat and would love the company of an old friend." Bilbo requested, ushering me in. Inside, I took off my cape and rested it on the peg by the door. My bow, quiver and sword were placed gently beneath it before I stepped into the cozy hobbit hole. He began preparing food as I leaned in the doorway to the kitchen, listening to Bilbo talk about Bag End and his family members. Just as he was finishing up, a knock came to the door. Bilbo tilted his head in confusion at the disturbance, but trotted to the foyer nonetheless.


	4. Chapter 4

Upon opening the door, the two dwarves from the tavern were standing there, smiling at the hobbit. They bowed deeply and introduced themselves as Balin and Dwalin. Bilbo was awestruck, giving the two dwarves a chance to step into the house and set their belongings beside mine.

"That bow ain't yourn, lad, is it?" The taller one, Dwalin asked, pointing to my things. I stepped forward and made myself known to the two, not bothering to give them a smile.

"Those would be mine." Confusion came to their faces, but they didn't say a word, at least not in the Common tongue. They began a conversation in Khuzdul, which I bristled at. Soon, Balin was asking for some food. In the next few hours, Bilbo was running back and forth between the kitchen and the door, letting more and more dwarves into the house. Even Gandalf came in, sitting quietly in the corner as the dwarves took over the dining room. After meeting the first two, I hid myself in the kitchen, helping Bilbo as more dwarves appeared and more frustration was visible on the halfling's face. The fully stocked shelves of food were soon dwindling as the dwarves ate, laughing and joking with one another. I managed to tuck an apple into my pocket for my horse and a piece of bread for myself. The eleven dwarves didn't notice me slip into Bilbo's study, leaning against the fireplace and eating my meager meal. Gandalf glanced over at me, but said nothing, letting me be for now. Rangers are not thundering and bolsters like dwarrow are, so it bothered me to hear the loud words, burps and clangs coming from the group.

In no time, the dwarves began singing, cleaning the dishes and glasses, much to Bilbo's dismay and worry. The boisterous group was quick in their work, keeping a steady rhythm and not dropping a single plate. As they settled down with fresh ale, another knock came at the door, and a somber silence fell on the group. Bilbo grumbled to himself as he approached the door, throwing it open, only to be greeted by a stern looking dwarf. He was much taller than the other, being five inches or so taller than I. His beard was not as long as some of the others, but his dark hair flowed down his back and over his shoulders. Keen blue eyes studied the hobbit in front of him. After scrutinizing the halfling in front of him, the dwarf looked to Gandalf.

"I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I was lost twice. If it were't for your mark on the door, I wouldn't have found it." He said with a deep voice, stepping past Bilbo and leaving his things by the door with the rest of our belongings. Bilbo looked at the door with worry over the supposed mark.

"Bilbo Baggins. Frea Ashmountain. May I introduce the leader of this company, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf said, forcing me to come out of hiding. With a sigh, I stepped into the brightly lit foyer, allowing the dwarves to acknowledge me, Balin and Dwalin being the only two to not look at me with surprise. Many mumbled to one another about me being a woman, while others said if I had a beard and were fatter, they would find me attractive. My teeth clenched and I ignored the comments, though I didn't appreciate being treated with disgrace. I was more than just a woman.

"So this is the Hobbit and our guide. Tell me, have you two done much fighting?" Thorin asked with a pompous look. It took all my will not to punch him in the face. Bilbo balked at the question but I glared at the dwarf. While the dwarves had been talking, I had removed my dagger, twirling it in my hands for entertainment. At Thorin's words, I scoffed, flipping the dagger in my hands before sheathing it. Thorin turned his attention to me, seeing my reaction to him.

"Axe or sword."

"Sword and bow." I growled, crossing my arms at the dwarf. I wasn't one to show off, but I didn't appreciate my skills being diminished by a stranger.

"And you, Hobbit." Thorin asked, turning to Bilbo. The Halfling made a comment about Conkers, but Thorin scoffed, calling his host a grocer. My anger flashed out once more, angered by the insult Thorin had caused the hobbit. Bilbo seemed hurt, but brought forth a candle when Gandalf asked, the company discussing the quest to reclaim Erebor. I was shocked at their task, but I didn't say anything out loud. After they finished talking, Thorin looked at me.

"Are you as good of a guide as the wizard says you are?" He challenged, giving me a stern look. With a stone face I strode to his side, making room for myself to look at the map strewn on the table. They were not as detailed as the maps many Rangers carried, but dwarves weren't wanderers like myself.

"The river has changed course slightly from what is drawn here, and there have been Orc sightings as well as goblins from the Iron Hills, but this map doesn't show the rest of the danger faced before even reaching the Long Lake." I muttered, the 'map' being no more than a drawing. "But I can get you there in one piece."

"And pray tell, what be your qualifications? How do we know this to be true?" The younger dwarf Fili asked, glancing me up and down. I took offense and straightened, staring the young dwarf in the eye. Even though we were about the same age, his arrogance was unwarranted and rude. Even the older dwarf, Balin, gave Fili a look of disapproval.

"I'm a Ranger of the North. I have moved across this land and studied its secrets thrice in about the same amount of time it took you to braid your hair. So I would kindly ask you to not insult someone who will be guiding you through Middle Earth." I growled, watching as Fili shrunk slightly. A large arm grabbed my shoulder and I reacted, drawing my dagger and twisting from the grip, the point of my weapon in the neck of Dwalin, who had been standing next to me. All the dwarves stood, waiting to jump me.

"You dare attack one of my men." Thorin roared, holding his own dagger out at me. I glared at him over my shoulder, letting Dwalin go. No one spoke, Thorin and I stared each other down. None of the dwarves trusted me, but I didn't trust them either. The only dwarf Hamen had trusted was a greedy miser who lived in a cave, and even he would have turned Hamen over to the enemy for a coin.

"Well, that is plenty more excitement than I bargained for tonight, but I need Frea and Bilbo to sign these contracts." Balin's voice interrupted, breaking the tense silence. I was the first to break the gaze Thorin held me in, stalking over to the old dwarf as he extended two scrolls out.

"Contract?" Bilbo asked in an unsure voice as he received the long contract. I grabbed the second one, scanning the paper.

"It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth." Balin replied in a casual tone, giving me a smile. The Halfling read everything meticulously, balking at certain phrases and talking to Balin about them. My eyes scanned the papers before turning to the old dwarf. The wealth they were offering was not what interested me, for Rangers had no need for chests filled with gold.

"My payment will be two small pouches of gold. The rest can be given to the company. And as for my funeral, just burn my body. But send my cloak and weapons to Hamen in the North Downs, at Esteldín." I told him, signing the bottom of the parchment and handing it to the dwarf. He made the changes, shock in his features that I complied so quickly and easily. With the business taken care of, I stepped out, slipping my green cloak on and searching for my horse. The dwarves' voices were muffled in the hobbit hole and it was nice to be away from the glare of the pompous Thorin. My horse nickered as I approached, hoping for more food. His muzzle located the apple in my hand and devoured it, letting me stroke his neck and lean against him as he grazed.

Thinking back to the dwarves and their reactions to me, I felt isolated from the company. Mistrust plagued my heart. How could I give up my life for people who I didn't even know and who were unwelcoming to me? As I pondered, the answer came to me when my horse turned and rubbed the side of his face on my shoulder. It wasn't for the trust of the dwarves, but for what they wanted. Each one wanted their home back. I had lost my home permanently, never to return to the place my mother and I lived. To the place where I had been happy and safe. All of that was lost to me, but not for the dwarves. Their home was still there, waiting for them to reclaim it. If I could help the company get their home back, at least someone would have a place in the world and be proud of it. Even if I never found my place in the world, at least the dwarves did.

As the night drew on, singing could be heard form inside Bilbo's home. It was a sad song of loneliness and longing. My eyes glanced at my boots, trying to ignore the pains of loneliness that crept into my heart. Even if these dwarves were homeless, they had one another. The only person I had was Hamen and he was far away. Shock filled me as a tear escaped from my eye, falling down my cheek and to the ground. I hadn't cried since my village was burned, and vowed I never would again.

"Emotions are for the weak, and Rangers are not weak." I mumbled, remembering what I would chant to myself when training was a struggle or when I was being beaten in a sparring match. With a sigh, I gave a gentle pat to the horse's shoulder before walking back inside. As I entered soundlessly into the house, I saw Bilbo leave the living room, his head and shoulders hung forward in fatigue. He didn't sign the contract and wasn't planning on going. With a sigh, I left the Hobbit's door open, laying myself in the threshold. The summer breeze wafted the smell of cut grass and wildflowers over the fields, relaxing me. All was quiet after the dwarves finished their song, most of them shuffling around and settling in for the night. Footsteps entered the hall and I looked to find Thorin meeting my gaze. He stopped to stare at me for a few moments before looking away and shaking his head.

I was too tired to pay attention to the dwarf, so I turned my head to the outside world once more, wrapping my cloak around me as I dozed off into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Morning woke me first, the sound of birds chirping reached my ears. I stretched and stood from my sleeping space, letting the warm sunshine rouse my body. No one else was awake as far as I could tell, so I moved soundlessly to the kitchen. There I found Thorin, boiling water on the small fire he started. His shoulders stiffened as my shadow passed him, making him turn to me.

"Good morning." I greeted, a stoic look on my face. Even after last night, I would try to be civil for the sake of the long journey ahead of us. Thorin had gone back to looking at the small pot, his arms folded.

"Mashakkalul." He mumbled, letting me hear him, assuming that I didn't know what he was saying. I didn't know much Khuzdul, but I knew that word better than any other. With a sigh, I grabbed a few pieces of food that were left and walked outside, gathering my things to ready my horse. In our travels, Hamen had told me that while many respect Rangers, others didn't. When passing through towns, people would use different languages around us, especially elves and dwarves. I never forgot asking Hamen when I was young what a dwarf had said, and he repeated the word.

 _"It means one that is outside. Dwarrow use it as a way of distinguishing those that don't belong. Don't hold their words against them, Frea. When they say mashakkalul, it is because they don't know who you are. They only know that you are an independent person who does what she pleases."_ I recalled, looking out of the Shire as the morning light brightened the sky. My horse nickered at me, walking up to see if I had food for him.

"It's better to throw around insults than us drawing daggers on each other, huh my boy." I mumbled to the horse, giving him a pat on his shoulder. His copper colored head bobbed up and down, smelling the dried apple in my other hand. I ate slowly as I thought on the journey to come, when the door opened almost deftly. I stayed still, pretending like I didn't hear them approaching. When they cleared their throat, I shifted my gaze to find Fili. His blue eyes were tired from just having woken up, but he had a look of resolve as if he had something to get off his chest.

"I need to apologize for the way I treated you last night. I had no right in assuming you didn't know how to do your job. It was foolish of me. So I apologize." He said, his hands clasped behind his back. My brows furrowed together at the uncharacteristic apology. Dwarves never once looked at me with respect or even anything but disdain, so his words surprised me.

"I forgive you, and I must apologize as well. Being in new surroundings can be dangerous for me, so my guard was up. I did not mean to insult you or your family." I admitted, holding his gaze. A smile came across his face and his arm shot out, holding a hand out to me. After a moment of hesitation, I grabbed a hold of it, firmly squeezing his arm.

"I must admit though, no one has ever pinned Dwalin like that. It was impressive." The prince laughed, making me smirk. Fili and I talked more about fighting tactics and other things before more dwarves came outside. Dwalin gave me a hard look, but nothing was said. With a sigh, I began to ready my horse, Fili and Kili bringing their ponies closer to me.

"The hobbit decided not to come." Kili told us, a sad smile on his lips. I nodded, a feeling of relief coming to me. Bilbo was a friend and I was glad he wouldn't be in danger. Once everyone was ready, I swung up into the saddle, Kili and Fili following suit. Thorin and Gandalf were the last to walk out, debating on whether they should leave the contract or not.

"He is too much of a coward to come along, there is no point." Thorin growled, grabbing the reins of his pony from Dwalin.

"He may surprise you, Master Oakenshield. Hobbits have been known to do very unexpected things." The wizard insisted, mounting his horse and beginning to follow Thorin down the road. We fell in line, myself positioned near the front behind Thorin, Fili and Kili riding closely by my side.

We were riding through the small wooded area leading out of the Shire when I heard a voice calling to us. A smile came across my face as I slowed the horse down, the two brothers looking at me in confusion. The company couldn't hear the faint cry at first, but one by one they all turned around to look.

"Wait! Wait for me!" The voice yelled, and Bilbo crested the small hill, the long contract in his up-stretched hand fluttering in the wind. I pulled my horse to a stop as Balin read over the contract, giving his approval of the document.

"Give him a pony." Thorin said, unfazed by the halfling. Bilbo began to protest, the fear of the animals coming to him, but Ori and Nori rode up behind him, placing him on the smallest of the ponies. I shook my head at Bilbo's face and went to ride next to him. His fearful eyes met mine and he mustered up a small smile before holding on for dear life.

After a few minutes, dwarves began to throw sacks of coins to and fro, myself catching the two that Fili and Kili threw to me.

"What's going on?" He asked me, watching the dwarves exchange their money. Gandalf answered him.

"They all bet if you would come along or not. Many said you would stay at home." The hobbit turned to me, hurt on his face. I leaned down towards him with a smirk.

"You're a Took, so I knew you would come round eventually." I told him, handing him one of the small purses. He gave me a kind smile before turning to the wizard

"What did you think, Gandalf?"

Gandalf chuckled and caught the back that was tossed by Dwalin and stashed it in his bag.

"My dear friend, I never doubted you for a moment." The wizard called, riding on ahead. After a few hours, Bilbo began to call for us to go back. Kili and Fili groaned as the three of us stopped to see what was the matter. Bilbo then began to say that he forgot his handkerchief, which was a useless thing to have out in the world. Bofur rode up and tore off a piece of his shirt, handing it to the halfling. I rolled my eyes and gave a nudge to my horse, moving ahead of the company. As I surveyed the land and where we would go, Gandalf told Bilbo that journeys such as ours was no place to be worrying about handkerchiefs. From my position, I could hear Thorin mumbling to Balin.

"That hobbit will be more trouble than he is worth. And our… _guide_ has a temper." He growled, the feeling of his gaze on my back. Hate radiated off the dwarf and I gritted my teeth, pretending as if I didn't hear his words. Which was a fairly hard task considering dwarrow never knew how to be quite.

"Well Gandalf said she was part dwarf. And our kind does have unusually short tempers." Balin said pointedly, to which Thorin growled at. I scoffed under my breath, the hypocrisy of his words plain to both the old dwarf and I.

The days passed and we made good time, Bilbo trying to complain as little as possible so that the dwarves wouldn't be annoyed by him. Kili and Fili made it their goal to befriend me, riding ahead to scout land with me, asking about my past, and trying to get me to help them prank the older dwarves.

"Come on, Frea! It'll be funny to watch!" Kili whined, waggling his brow at me. I rolled my eyes and continued to survey the land and look for danger. Dwarves traveled very loudly, so any enemy following us would know where we were immediately.

"Dwalin and I are already on bad terms, I don't need him wanting to suffocate me while I sleep." I remarked, urging my horse to trot ahead. Fili caught up.

"If he does blame you, we'll take the fall. Promise." He tried, giving me his charming smile. The princes thought I was much like any other dwarrowdam who would do their bidding with just a smile and a kind word.

"For the last time, no. Go do what you like but leave me out of it." I fumed, urging my horse to canter. The two fell back to the company, disappointed in their failed attempts. I slowed again and rubbed my neck with my hand. The brothers didn't understand the struggle I was in. Half dwarves were the scapegoat, even if they had nothing to do with the issue. I knew that even if I was nowhere near Dwalin when they played their prank, I would get blamed for it. It was an inevitable outcome.

Suddenly, a commotion was heard from the company and laughing ensued. I wheeled my horse around and Dwalin hanging underneath his pony for a moment before falling to the ground. A groan escaped my lips as I waited for the dwarf to right himself, The princes riding farther ahead as they chuckled. Thorin watched them go, then caught my eye. I could feel the hate from here and I glanced down at the shoulders of my horse. Once everything was right again, we continued on.

"Did you see the look on his face? Priceless!" Kili said to his brother, throwing back his head to laugh. They had found their position a few paces behind me which annoyed me to no end. I ignored their conversation, focusing on doing my job, but it was interrupted as another pony trotted up to me.

"Ride ahead." Thorin's voice commanded, glaring at me before urging his steed to canter. I shot back a glare to the brothers before following the king. When I caught up to him he didn't look at me, just stared ahead stoically.

"Did you tell the brothers to loosen Dwalin's saddle?" He asked, his voice filled with anger.

"No." I replied, trying to control the anger rising in my chest.

"I don't believe you." He sneered, glaring at me. I returned his gaze and turned my horse to face him squarely.

"I don't play childish pranks on anyone, and I refused to help them when they asked. And just because I am half dwarf doesn't mean that I will take the heat for everything that goes wrong. I won't allow you and your men to berate me when your _nephews_ were the ones to do it. By themselves. Now, Master Oakensheild, if you are done blaming me for your family's short comings, I will go do the job I was asked to do. Unless you have some other petty issue you would like me to take the fall for. Maybe for the sun being too bright this day, or the breeze too strong. " I growled, my fingers tightening on the reins. Thorin glared at me but I didn't give him the time to respond. With a swift kick, I urged my horse to canter off, making sure that I passed so close to his own pony that he had to back up to get out of my way.


	6. Chapter 6

By the end of the day, I was still fuming about Thorin's insistence that I was the culprit for the prank. As we made camp, I marched around, gathering wood and for the fire and keeping away from Thorin and Dwalin. Bilbo had begun pestering me about what had happened, but I ignored him and the brothers, not wishing to snap at them and give Thorin another reason to hate me more. Once the camp was settled, I sat on the edge of the camp, sharpening my daggers and arrows to pass time.

A set of footsteps came closer but I didn't look up, not wanting to face the dwarf I knew was standing there. His presence made me grind the blade of my dagger harder over the stone in my hand, expecting him to have another thing to say to me. When he didn't speak, I gave a low growl he didn't hear before speaking.

"Come to blame me for anything else? Is the wood I gathered not good enough?" I sneered, red coming to my vision.

"I was going to apologize, but if you're going to act like a dwarfling and pout." Thorin barked, crossing his arms. I finally looked at him with a hard gaze.

"I don't accept apologies from dwarves who don't have the common decency to find out what happened before pointing fingers at the wrong people." I snapped, standing in front of him, bringing my face close to his before I continued, "I know I'm a Mashakkalul, but don't you ever, and I mean _ever_ try to do that again. I will not have my name slandered through the mud because of some prejudice your kind has against me just because I was born." I snarled, baring my teeth at him. A low growl left his throat as his blue eyes met mine, but I stalked away, finding a place quiet that I could calm down. Soon I was out by the ponies, letting their peaceful demeanors relax me. My breath came in short gasps, anger and frustration filling me. I usually never cared what people had to say about me, but Thorin's hatred toward me made me think irrationally.

In a few hours, the sun set and a warg cry echoed through the area as I walked back to camp. Bilbo looked terrified as he glanced into the darkness, trying to spot the source of the noise. Kili and Fili soon began to tease the hobbit, frightening him more. I came up to the side of Bilbo and shot the brother's a glare, but they laughed at Bilbo.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin's voice could be heard. I saw him at the edge of the camp. Kili tried to say something, but Thorin snapped.

"You know nothing of the world." He growled, turning back to look out into the darkness. If I had not been so angry with him, I would have agreed with him. The two didn't know the dangers of orc packs. Balin approached, his kindly nature made him feel obligated to explain Thorin's actions.

"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs led by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King. Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent…wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song, that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King." Balin retold the tale.

By now, all the dwarves were awake, listening to the tale. Bilbo was awestricken, his mouth hanging open in shock of the tale. Like all hobbits, Bilbo Baggins loved a good story.

"What happened to the pale orc?" He asked. Thorin stood, turning to us and coming to the fire.

"He slunk back to his dark hole, licking his wounds. He died long ago." He replied, anger flashing through his eyes. Something about his statement sat heavy in my stomach. I had learned years after my village was burned that the orcs that attack my village were the members of Azog's troop, but he never mentioned if the pale orc was dead or alive. I chewed at the bottom of my lip, thinking it over as I stared into the fire.

"Come, let's all get some rest. We have a long way to travel tomorrow." Bofur said, settling in for the night. Many followed suit, but I couldn't sleep so I sat by the fire, poking at the embers. Shuffling to my right came to my ears and I glanced as Thorin sat, his gaze meeting mine for a moment. The awkward silence fell and I stared at the flames, trying to ignore the king's uneven breathing. He would take a breath as if about to speak, but nothing would come. I waited to see what he would do, and finally he spoke.

"Forgive me. I am aware of my nephews' pranks, but we know so little about you that I wasn't sure if you were trying to cause problems. It was wrong of me to jump conclusions. So I'm sorry." He said in a low voice, not wanting the others to wake or those who were awake to hear. I was surprised at the humble tone in his voice.

"I forgive you. I know my kind aren't accepted in many dwarf villages, so I should apologize as well for giving you reason to mistrust me." I replied, pulling my knees closer to my chest. Thorin nodded his forgiveness and we soon fell into silence again.

"How does a half dwarf find herself in ranks with rangers?" Thorin asked suddenly, his brow stitched together in curiosity. I sighed and gathered my thoughts. In my life, no one had ever asked me about my past and if they did, it was a short answer of I was young and couldn't remember, which wasn't true at all. If I lied to him now and he found out later, things would get worse and none of the dwarves would trust me. After deliberating in my mind, I shouldered my resolves and began to speak.

"When I was very little, the village my mother and I lived in at the base of the Blue Mountains came under attack one night. It was an orc pack and they slaughtered almost everyone. A few of us children escaped, but I never saw them make it to a safe place. When I was a safe distance away from my home, a Ranger named Hamen came along and took me in, raised me to be a ranger. It was a better fate than wandering the country side and being found by more orcs." I told him, my eyes scanning the darkness on the edge of the camp. Thorin nodded in understanding. He had a look of guilt in his eyes.

"I remembered that attack. I tried to get my father to let a few of my men and I to go and fight off the orcs, but he refused. He said I was needed in the mountains. He even put guards on me to ensure I didn't slip out. I never forgave him for that." Thorin told me, his left hand balled into a fist. I was shocked to hear his words. My mind never thought that the dwarves were going to help, but hearing his words comforted me slightly. Knowing that at least some of them wanted to help us was a kind enough gesture to me. We sat in silence well into the night until my eyes began to close involuntarily. Thorin was the same as well, rubbing his face to keep awake.

"We should sleep some. Being tired tomorrow won't help us much." I mumbled, pulling myself to my feet. Thorin grunted in agreement, standing and nudging Dwalin with his foot. Dwalin's sleep filled eyes looked between us and some angry whispers of Khuzdul were exchanged before Dwalin growled and sat up to take next watch. As I laid down to rest, Thorin not far away, I turned to him and gave him a small smirk.

"Rest well, Thorin."

"You as well, Frea."


	7. Chapter 7

Traveling was quiet once more, though Dwalin made it a point to growl at me when our horses got too close to one another. But we were making good time in my opinion. As we rode one morning, it began to rain steadily, both dwarf and pony hunched into themselves, trying to keep as dry as possible. I pulled my green cloak tighter around me, spreading the material over my horse's back as much as possible. Thorin had done the same and we rode side by side, watching for any danger. Kili and Fili rode behind us, mumbling about their boots filling with water.

"Mr. Gandalf, Can you do something about this rain?" Dori's voice called from farther back, a frown on his face. I smirked and Thorin let out a scoff, the request being rather large, even for a great wizard. Gandalf responded, then began to tell us the other wizards. as he spoke of Radagast, I smiled to myself. Thorin glanced over and gave me a confused look, his brow raised high. I shook my head, looking back over the terrain. The Brown wizard was an old friend of mine, Hamen having brought me to his home during one of our journeys. He taught me how to whistle like a a few birds, how to ride one of his giant rabbits, and how to treat poisons. He was a kind soul who appreciated the rangers for the little impact we made on forests by not chopping down full trees for a fire in the night or killing more animals than we could eat.

The company soon found a place to stop for the night by the ruins of an old farm. Thorin made his nephews watch the ponies, Gandalf standing quietly by the old house foundation, gazing around warily at our surroundings. I had passed this place many times and always chose to continue one for the foreboding feeling the ruins gave me was never a pleasnt experience. But I wasn't going to be the one to tell the almighty Thorin that we shouldn't tarry here. My gut told me he would use my advice as even more reason to stay the night here. Soon, the old wizard was arguing with Thorin about moving on a ways, until the tall man stormed off, telling Bilbo he had had enough of the company of dwarves. I didn't blame him for losing his temper, though. Thorin barked at Bomber to start making food, ignoring the unsure looks of the rest of his companions. I sat against one of the boulders nearby, watching everyone, Bilbo being worried about the wizard leaving.

"He's been gone for a long time." The hobbit said to himself, watching the way Gandalf had left to see if he would come back. Dwalin rolled his eyes and turned so that the small figure wasn't worrying away in his field of vision. Many of the dwarrow did the same, blocking out the woes of the halfling.

"He's a wizard, does as he likes." Bofur retorted, handing two bowls to the halfling. "Do us a favor and bring this to the lads." Bilbo sighed and went off, not realizing that the dwarves were getting annoyed with him and his worrying. I watched the little hobbit go, mumbling to himself as he went.

Balin and I sat together talking about anything and everything as we ate, Balin mostly talking of dwarves and their culture. He told me about Durin and the long history of his people, feasts that were held in the dwarrow halls, and important holidays that their people held close to their hearts. I think he wanted me to connect with my heritage, so he was letting me know about everything he could think of. I listened quietly, watching the forest, Balin chattering away happily. That's when Kili and Fili came running through the camp. Every dwarf stood up, worried that something had happened to them.

"Trolls! They've got some of the ponies." Kili said out of breath. I stood up, not seeing Bilbo behind them.

"Where's the hobbit?" I demanded, standing up and unsheathing my dagger. The brothers looked guilty and glanced to one another. With a growl I pushed passed the two, running the way they had come with the rest of the company close behind. My feet stopped just as the trolls came into view. Their loud talking and stench covered the area and I hid myself. The downwind hid my scent from the blundering creatures, but it in turn brought the smell of dung and other fouls odors to me. One was holding Bilbo by his legs, interrogating the halfling. The three were much taller than I had imagined, but they were clearly idiots. Their giant noses were in a perpetual snarl and they spoke in gravely voices.

Bilbo was lying to the three about being the only one out here when Kili dashed out in hopes of rescuing him. I groaned at the dwarf's stupidity, then the rest of the dwarrow ran out. My hand connected with my forehead at their brash move. As they fought, Bilbo was grabbed once more and the trolls threatened to kill him.

"That's what happened when you don't think. But no! No one in this blasted company ever thinks. Surprised they lasted as long as they have without one of them falling into a hole and the rest jumping in to see if he was alright." I growled to myself, watching as Thorin glared at Bilbo and dropped his sword. The trolls tied up Thorin, Kili, Gloin, Bombur, Balin and Oin, and Bilbo in bags while the others were placed on a spit over the fire. The three trolls began debating on how to cook the dwarves. This was my chance to sneak closer to the ones tied up.

"We ain't got all night. Dawn's l'most 'ere and I don't fancy getting turned to stone." The one named Tom said, watching the horizon to his right. Suddenly, Bilbo began talking, stalling for time in hopes for the sun to rise. I smirked at the smart little hobbit as he hopped his way closer to the trolls. With them focusing on the halfling, I crawled to Kili, gesturing for him to be quiet. He nodded with a smirk and a wink to me but as I cut through his bag, a troll had reached towards us, grabbing Bombur.

"No!" Bilbo cried, "Not that one— he's infected!" He stopped the troll, glancing between the forest and the three trolls. Many of the dwarrow began to protest that they were not infected at al, including Kili, causing me to groan as I freed him from the bag. Thorin was the only one who stayed quiet, his eyes going from me to Bilbo. His foot kicked Kili, getting him to shut up. Soon the dwarrow start catching on and begin saying they have the biggest worms and who had the most infections. I worked quickly, crawling over Kili and to Thorin, but he glared for me to stop moving.

The trolls had caught on to the trick and began yelling at the dwarrow, but it was too late as the sky began to lighten. Gandalf was standing on a large boulder above them. His staff outstretched in his hand.

"The dawn will take you all!" The wizard shouted, plunging his staff atop the boulder. It split at his feet with a low rumble, letting the first morning light streamed through the split. The three trolls cringed, turning to stone instantly. With a sigh, I stood, the dwarves cheering. Kili and I made work to setting the dwarrow in the bags free before I walked over to the ones on the spit above me. After studying the spit, I kicked out on of the legs holding it up. With a yell, the dwarf-kabob impaled the ground, standing upright.

"Now what do you plan on doing lassie?" Dwalin, who was tied at the bottom, growled. With a smirk, I lay beside the spit, aiming my bow to shoot directly up, slicing the ropes holding the dwarrow to the branch. They all came tumbling down to my left, landing on Dwalin.

"That, laddie." I retorted, getting up and catching my arrow as it fell back towards the ground. Kili laughed as his brother groaned under the weight of Ori. Thorin and Gandalf were talking beside the now troll statues as I approached. Thorin glared at me.

"Were you afraid to fight? I don't see another explanation for hiding away instead of trying to help _your little friend_." Thorin growled, gesturing with his head to Bilbo, who was a way away. My arms crossed in front of me.

"I was trying to think of a way to get Bilbo out without everyone getting caught, but neither Kili nor you have any patience it seems." I challenged, raising one of my brows at the dwarf. Gandalf quietly chuckled behind Thorin, who gave me a scowl before changing the topic.

"Since when do trolls travel this far south?" He asked Gandalf, peering up at the troll statue in front of him.

"Not for an age. Not since a darker power ruled these lands." Gandalf mused, leaning against his staff.

"Some rangers had reported troll activity, but there are no towns out this way, so the council didn't think action was necessary. I didn't even think these foothills would be suitable homes for one troll let alone three" I told them, kicking a stone with the the toe of my boot. Gandalf nodded, understanding the priority of trolls was low compared to more imminent threats to the rangers like orcs, goblins and brigands. Thorin didn't.

"Next time, you will tell me of such reports about the land we are in." He ordered, marching away to his nephews. I rolled my eyes and gave him a salute to his back by raising my fist to my shoulder straight up.

"That is no ranger's salute." Gandalf chided me with his brows furrowed, causing my cheeks to tun a shade of pink.

"No, it was one we gave to the rangers we didn't respect. Mostly the older rangers who thought they knew everything, yet hadn't left the camp in years. The one who would train new recruits was the most hated man by the young ones." I confided, earning a hearty laugh from the wizard for he knew of whom I was speaking of. Soon, the company was looking for the troll cave, which I found easily by following their stench.

"Be careful what you touch." Gandalf warned as the dwarrow ran into the piles of gold and other fine things.

Thorin and Gandalf were studying Elven blades as I walked through the cave.

"Frea! look at this!" Kili's voice called to me. He was standing by a pile of bows and quivers. Many of the bows were broken save for a few, which Kili had already pulled out, testing their strings. I examined the quivers and began gathering arrows when Thorin called to us.

"Let's get out of this foul place!" He called, heading down the slope. Gandalf walked to Bilbo as the Durin heirs and I exited the cave. The comapny was busy hiding gold in the ground for later, if they ever came back and were counting their additions to their purses. My ears picked up the sound of large feet running. I recognized the pattern but kept my mouth shut, smiling to myself. It would be a surprise for the dwarf leader. Durin knows that none of the others would notice the incoming company until Thorin said something.

"Something's coming." As I had counted on, Thorin called, the dwarrow all grouped together, Kili pushing me along. I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms in front of myself as the dwarves readied to fight. Suddenly, a giant sled pulled by rabbits launched out of the forest, coming to a stop in front of us. A man dressed in brown robes jumped out, screaming about Fire and thieves, his staff clutched in his hand with white knuckles.

"Radagast!" Gandalf and I called together. Thorin cast me a worried look, but seeing I hadn't drawn my weapon, he realized it was alright to drop his new sword. "What on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf asked his friend, walking to him.

"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong." The brown wizard said, looking at me for sympathy. My brows creased with worry as I stepped closer. all of us were silent for a moment.

"Yes?" Gandalf urged. Radagast opened and closed his mouth like a fish, confusion written in his expression.

"Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue" Radagast mumbled, his brows furrowing. Suddenly, he looked at Gandalf in surprise. "Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old…" opening his mouth for Gandalf to reach in and pull something out. The dwarrow looked away in disgust, not wanting to see what the two were talking about.

"Stick Insect!" The brown wizard exclaimed. I shook my head at the peculiar wizard, the others looking on uncomfortably.

The two old men went off to a corner to talk, so I meandered towards the rabbits. They were much bigger than the horses of men. The one closest to the back had big trusting eyes and when I approached, he sniffed me curiously before mouthing my hand with his lips. Upon finding no food, he allowed me to scratch his neck and behind his ear. When I found his favorite spot, his large foot beat against the ground heavily, vibrating the small rocks across the earth. I smirked and ran my fingers through the soft fur, waiting, when a howl broke the silence.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked in fear, scanning our surroundings. The rabbits froze and listened, waiting for their master to come back. I drew an arrow and notched my bow, slowly walking towards the dwarrow.

"Wolves? No there be no wolves." Bofur answered the halfling. A warg launched itself at us, knocking Balin over, but Thorin killed it. Another soon appeared, and Kili shot it, but it didn't die, only launched itself in one last ditch effort to grab Thorin, but my arrow lodged into its head, taking the beast down. Thorin turned to me with a nod before Gandalf came running up to the company.

"Who did you tell of your quest beyond you kin?" The grey wizard shouted, looking around for more threats. I kept my bow aimed out, waiting for another warg or orc to attack.

"No one!" Thorin answered, honesty in is voice.

"Who did you tell?!" Gandalf insisted though, making me glare at the old wizard for wasting time worrying about this.

"No one, I swear. Maybe the Ranger or the halfling did." He accused, causing me to bristle.

"We don't have time for this." I snapped, glaring at the wizard and the Durin king. They looked at me but nodded.

"I'll draw them off." Radagast announced, mounting his sleigh.

"Those were Gundabad wargs! They will outrun you, easily." Gandalf protested, looking at his friend.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits! I'd love to see them try." The little wizard replied, a twinkle in his eyes. He gave me a look as he hurried past which stopped him in his tracks, quickly pulled out a small satchel and threw it to me gently. I caught it and tucked it away, not questioning his motives. Radagast and his rabbits then took off into the forest, the sound of orc and warg soon following him.

"Come on!" Gandalf yelled, leading the dwarrow down the hill, toward the only option we had.


	8. Chapter 8

We took off across a flat meadow, running to the gathering of rocks ahead. I ran close to the back, watching for any orcs or wargs. Radagast ducked in and out of rock formations and lead the warg riders on a wild chase. We reached the outcropping of rocks, huddling together to catch our breath. Ori continued on, forcing us to move with him. Thorin kept asking Gandalf where he was taking us, but the wizard said nothing. I avoided the dwarf's gaze, focusing on the wargs around us. In our hiding place, a warg rider scented the air, catching our smells. Before Kili even moved, My arrow is lodged in the warg's throat, causing him to fall. Kili's arrow hit the orc, but the scum let out a cry before dying, signaling the others.

"Run!" Gandalf and I yelled together, pushing the dwarrow to go forward. I ended up running alongside Gandalf, finding breath to call to the wizard.

"Thorin won't like where you're taking us."

"It is for the good of the company." He answered, running faster to catch up to the dwarves. I slowed, my arrows flying toward the wargs and orcs surrounding us, killing those getting too close. Gandalf reached the rock hiding the hidden entrance, diving through the barely noticeable hole that I knew well and I followed the company to it.

"Where is Gandalf?" Kili yelled, taking out another orc.

"He abandoned us." Dwalin growled, brandishing his axe.

"Hold your ground." Thorin yelled.

"Idiots!" I growled, gabbing Fili by the shoulder and shoving him into the crack in the rock. One by one the dwarrow followed with me shoving, Thorin disappearing as well. Kili loosed one more arrow before diving into the crack. With my last two arrows, I killed an orc and warg before Gandalf appeared and grabbed me.

As I slid to the ground, catching my breath, a horn sounded, hoofbeats mixing with the sound of fighting. I knew who it was so I stood, not listening to the fighting. As an orc body fell through the crack, I heard Thorin growl. Without haste, I began shuffling my way through the small pathway.

"Frea, where are you going?" Bilbo asked me.

"I'm a guide, little halfling. Follow me. I know where I am going." I replied, not looking back. The company began to follow, no complaints to be heard since we were getting farther from the orc pack. As we walked, I shifted my satchel, hearing a muffled yip inside. Bilbo was beside me and curiosity reached his face. I pulled the bag around to open it and a small head popped out of the pack, covered in red fur.

"A fox pup!" Bilbo exclaimed, looking at the small thing closer. My brow furrowed until I recalled the last time I had seen Radagast last. I was young and the brown wizard had found a young fox that had been abandoned by her mother. I wanted to keep the young thing as a friend, but Hamen disagreed. Before we left, Radagast promised that the next time he saw me, he would give me a fox pup. I never expected the old man to remember and his promise was forgotten in time, but he kept his end of the deal. A nostalgic smile came to my face as I scratched the small things head.

"Why did the wizard give you a baby fox?" Fili's voice came from behind me, his large hand taking the fox gently and examining the small thing. It yawned as it stared back at him, his golden eyes half closed. Deciding not to divulge my past with the dwarrow, I shrugged, taking back the small thing and tucking it inside my tunic for warmth. The subject was dropped and we walked in relative silence.

Finally the path opened into an entrance to the large Valley holding a safe place I knew well.

"The Valley of Imraldis. In the Common Tongue, it's known by a another name." Gandalf said, proud that he had gotten the company to come here. I shrugged my satchel on my shoulder and continued down the path, the fox poking his head out from my tunic to see the valley and smell at the breeze that swept through the valley.

"Rivendell." I heard Bilbo exclaim. Thorin made protest, but the company followed me down the slope to the bridge leading to the grand home of the elves. I had been here many times when I needed a place to stay on journeys, so I walked across the bridge carelessly. The company followed me and the wizard slowly, unsure of what would happen.

"Mithrandir. Ai ohtar. (Little warrior)" A dark haired elf greeted, looking at the two of us kindly. I smiled and nodded to him, Gandalf going to the elf. Lindir and Gandalf embraced one another, the dwarrow watching with suspicion.

" _We heard you had crossed into the valley. And the handy work of our little ranger was seen as well."_ Lindir said, giving me a wry smile as he spoke. I smirked, squaring my shoulders slightly. As Gandalf asked for Lord Elrond, I heard the procession of Rivendell horses before I saw them or blasted their horns. The company circled, waiting to be attacked. A groan escaped my throat and I shook my head, glancing down at the fox pup. He watched the elves circle the dwarrow. Even the small kit knew there was no trouble to be had here.

Elrond dismounted and greeted us, giving me a smile. Elrond told of them killing the orcs following us and I smirked, the lord making the same remark of seeing my arrows littering orc bodies. Thorin soon stepped forward, not wanting to be forgotten by the Elves.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain." Elrond said, greeting the Durin heir. Disdain came to Thorin's features much like the day he met me. It took everything in me not to punch him. Elrond was a friend and his family treated me well, so anything Thorin did to insult Elrond would insult me.

"I do not believe we have met." He said in a mock of civility. Elrond stiffened the slightest at the hatred but continued to be hospitable to the dwarrow.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain." Elrond replied, extending the offer of peace in his words. Thorin scoffed and crossed his arms before replying.

"Really? He made no mention of you." Thorin sneered, the company not saying a word. Thorin's blue eyes met mine and I glared at the pompous dwarf, my hands balling into fists. His smirk faltered for a moment, but turned back to Elrond. I would have a word with the so called royal dwarf in private later.

As Elrond ignored the words and told the dwarrow of a feast, a voice came from behind me.

"Frea!" I turned to see a young boy standing at the top of the stairs. He had curled brown hair and grey eyes, a smile tugging at his lips and showing white teeth. He was taller than me now, but he still had more growing to do.

"Aragon!" I replied, dashing up the stairs and embracing the half elf, laughing and taking in the sight of the young one.

"My you've grown since I last saw you." I admired, looking up at him. He puffed himself up, trying to be bigger than his lanky build would allow. "Have you been training?" I asked, sobering as I looked sternly at the boy. He nodded.

"I've been running through the valley and practicing my shooting. Can we spare later?" He asked, hope in his eyes. I nodded, laughing at his large grin. Elrond, Lindir, and Aragon led us to the Elven court, where a meal was set out. I sat to the side with Aragon, watching with a glass of wine in my hands as the dwarrow complained about the food to one another. Bilbo was quiet content, munching happily on the salad in front of him. Aragon played with the fox pup, feeding it fruit and milk, which the kit happily devoured. I listened quietly to Elrond speaking of the swords Thorin and Gandalf found before he asked about why we were traveling. A silence fell over the company before Thorin made a rude remark.

"Well, Aragon, how about that sparring match?" I said loudly, clapping the boy upon the shoulder. He nodded quickly, jumping down and running to get his sword. I chuckled and jumped to the ground as well, handing Bilbo the fox pup.

"What's his name?" The hobbit asked after me. I turned to give him a thoughtful look before answering.

"Took." I replied, earning a large grin from the halfling. Aragon appeared and we walked to the training grounds which lay just outside the palace. Aragon drew his sword and began coming at me, being fended off easily by my own blade. I coached him as we sparred, telling him keep his shoulder square, his balance being on the balls of his feet. I disarmed him a couple times, telling him how I did it and what to do so I can't do it again. We were at it for a good hour before I let him take my sword. He was shocked that he did it but stopped and got cocky, walking towards me with his sword outstretched.

"It looks like I finally beat you, Frea." He smirked, bringing the point of his sword to my chest. I smiled sweetly before grabbing his wrist, bending it so he dropped his sword and took him to the ground, my legs pinning his arms to his side and my dagger at his neck.

"Not from where I sit, young one." I chuckled, feeling Aragon struggle underneath me. Suddenly, two voices hollered and cheered. I stood to see the brothers laughing and walking towards us.

"I've never seen you use a sword, Frea!" Kili said in surprise. I rolled my eyes and let Aragon stand, who became reserved around the two dwarrow.

"I don't carry it around for show, Kili." I retorted, Fili chuckling and giving me a wink.

"Well I would like to test your ability." The blond replied, removing his coat and shoving it into Kili's chest. Aragon and Kili went to sit, talking about weapons and other things. I swung my sword in my hand before I turned to face Fili. He drew his two swords, smirking as if the number of weapons gave him the advantage.

"Ladies first." He mocked giving me a wink. I smirked and lunged, my swift movements were surprising to him. With Aragon, I held back my skills, not wanting to discourage the boy. But Fili was trained to be a warrior, so I held nothing back. We danced around each other, swiping at limbs and heads, pushing and shoving to get the other to give up a weakness. The blond dwarf's strength was taxing, but I could keep up and dodge his swings. On luck, I had been able to get him to drop one sword, kicking it off to the side before he could try and grab it again. Aragon and Kili were yelling and cheering for each of us.

"You're better than I thought." Fili gasped out, stepping farther back to remove his tunic, which was soaked with sweat. The look he gave me told me he was hoping I was distracted by his toned chest. I took the opportunity to pull my hair into a knot in the top of my head, keeping it out of my face, ignoring the dwarf much to his dismay. My interest in winning was more important than his looks.

"You're not as good as I thought." I joked, winking at him. His lips twitched into a grin before he came at me again, licking his lips. Our swords clashed more and more, our strokes becoming more sloppy. The exhaustion was getting to my feet, causing me to slip up. In a last ditch effort, I let Fili disarm me, but not before I grabbed the blade of the sword. It was a move I did when I was backed against a corner with nothing to lose. Fili's smirk faded as he saw the blood drip onto the blade. With his shock, I took my chance to yank the sword from his hand, throwing it behind me. Fili then tackled me, trying to pin me to the ground. My bloodied hand pushed against his face, smudging red on his cheek and beard. We struggled for a few moments before Fili placed himself on top of me, pinning my arms above my head. I struggled against his grip but sighed, slumping into the dirt.

"I win." The dwarf smirked, his grip loosening. As he got up, he offered me his hand. I chuckled, not believing he was giving me this opportunity. Our hands met before I pulled him down, straddling his back and holding his head down in the dirt.

"No, I think I did." I mumbled in his ears. Aragon and Kili could be heard laughing. Fili's chest rose and fell underneath me, his cheek turning slightly pink at my move. After a few more seconds of embarrassment, I stood, letting the dwarf up. I turned to the young half elf and pointed at him.

"Learn a lesson from that. Stop your opponent, no matter what. You can win if he thinks he's got everything in his corner. His guard is down. That's when you strike." I coached, turning and slapping Fili on the chest lightly. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he chuckled. We walked to the two, seeing Kili give Aragon a piece of gold.

"You bet on your own brother?" Fili asked, furrowing his brow.

"Well, that was when I thought you had a chance. Obviously you underestimated the ranger." Kili smirked, quirking his brow back at his brother. As we talked, our group headed back to the palace. My sword was draped across my shoulders, my hands resting over the hilt and blade. Everything was calm until a voice boomed ahead of us.

"What happened?!"


	9. Chapter 9

We looked up to see Thorin, Balin and Dwalin ahead, staring in horror at us. Fili and I were standing next to each other, so when our eyes met, I realized in horror that his face and arms were still covered in my blood, which was still covering my hands. Another reason for the dwarrow not to trust me was if I harmed the heir to the throne.

"If there is so much as one scratch on him." Dwalin roared, storming over to me and grabbing me by my thick red hair, shoving me into the wall. My sword clattered to the floor, echoing through the hall.

"No, it's my blo—" I started, but Dwalin wouldn't listen. Balin rushed to the brothers, examining Fili closely as both tried to speak. Everyone was tutting and trying to talk over one another.

"Silence." Thorin said, glaring at me. My head was sore from where Dwalin ripped at my hair, but I glared back, rage building inside me. When Balin pulled back in confusion, I had had enough. My foot connected with Dwalin's leg, getting him to let go of me.

"It's my blood! We were sparring. I didn't leave scratch on your nephew." I snarled, shoving my wounded palm into Thorin's face, letting him see the caked blood over the deep wound. Before anyone could say anything, my foot swept under my sword, tossed it into the air and I caught it by the blade, not caring if it bit into my hand more. Fili tried to call after me, but I kept going, not caring about them. My feet carried me to the shallow pool that the elves would swim in on hot days. My sword dug into the ground as I dropped it, standing up straight. I waded into the cool water, washing away the sweat from my skin and clothing. The cool water stung my hand, but I scrubbed away the dirt and blood, gritting my teeth against the burning sensation. Once I was clean, I sat in the shallow water, letting the small waves lap at my feet as I pulled my knees towards my chest. Just when I felt like the dwarves were accepting me, even a little, they mistrust me before finding out all the facts.

I didn't know how long I sat there, but I heard footsteps come slowly up behind me. They stopped at the edge of the water, not saying a word. I didn't have any more energy to lash out at them, so we were silent for a while, until the person sighed.

"I'm not good at this." A deep voice said. My head turned to see Dwalin. His face was guilt ridden and he didn't meet my gaze. His eyes looked down at his hands, which were fiddling with his belt. After a few more moments, he set his jaw and squared his shoulders.

"I need to apologize to ya lass. I haven't been completely trustworthy of ye and you've given no reason for me te do so. The boys, they're like sons te me and I was afraid when I saw him covered in yer blood. So forgive me, lassie." He said, finally looking me in the eye. To say I was shocked was an understatement. I sat there with my mouth slightly open, registering the dwarf's words. Dwalin was apologizing to me, and by the look of it, on his own will. The silence had gone on for too long so I stood, dusting my pants off before standing in front of him.

"I forgive you. But next time you grab me by my hair like that, I'll do more than kick your leg." I said, giving him a smirk. The dwarf let out a roaring laugh and extended his giant hand to me. I clasped it, letting his fingers squeeze tightly around my hand.

"Come on then, We're going back to the rooms the elves gave us. Goin' to have a real feast, with MEAT!" Dwalin said, slapping me hard on the back. I chuckled and nodded, walking with him. We were almost to the rooms when I felt someone watching me. Upon turning around, I saw a silver hooded figure turn at the end of the hall. My heart stopped.

"Lass." Dwalin called to me. I waved him on, turning to follow the figure. Whoever it was was tall and graceful, levitating over the stone floors. As I followed silently down he hall, they stopped and spoke.

"Greetings Frea, Female Ranger. I have heard and seen much about you." A melodious voice came to me. Her voice was soothing and brought a feeling of warmth to my body. She turned and the most beautiful Elf I had ever seen stood before me. Her golden hair fell well past her waist in thick curls. Her skin was pale white, a light seeming to shine from within her. Crystalline blue eyes looked through me, as if she knew everything about me before I even knew her name. Her gown was a brilliant white, flowing around her as if it were made of water. In reaction to her incomparable beauty, my head lowered to the floor, bowing low.

"Rise my child. There is no need for such formality. For your name is spoken far and wide. the stories of your bravery and kind heart abound across all Middle Earth. Even Mithrandir spoke highly of you when last I saw him. He also believes that your fate lies with Erebor and the son of Durin." She said to me, gliding closer. I stared up into her eyes curiously. What could she mean?

"I'm sorry my lady, but I don't know who you are." I spoke, my voice breaking with uncertainty. She smiled and nodded to me.

"I am known by many names, but you may call me Galadriel." She replied, giving me a kind smile. I returned it, nodding in response. "Come and walk with me a while. I have something I must tell you." She seemed to turn without using her feet and slowly began to walk again. I fell in step beside her, feeling unworthy to be in her presence.

"Many of the seers have been talking of a prophecy that will come true through Erebor. Would you care to hear it?" She asked me. I didn't see why I needed to hear it, seeing as Erebor was not my home, but Thorin's, yet I nodded anyway, not wanting to displease her. She smiled and then began to speak.

" _The lone tree will set it's roots into stone,_

 _But not before it is bitten by jagged teeth_

 _Her Branches will be tried,_

 _Her bark be marred with wounds,_

 _Yet the stone will see the beauty in the tree._

 _Stone will be chiseled and cracked,_

 _Beaten and battered by his enemies._

 _And yet the tree sees the strength in the stone._

 _Here she will find a home._

 _The tree will lay its life before the stone._

 _The stone will crumble if only to save his tree._

 _And should the tree be killed,_

 _All that was once stable will become dust in the wind._

 _Neither tree nor stone can live without the other._ "

I listened to her words intently, but I couldn't understand what she was talking about. If the stone was Erebor, than who or what was the tree?

"I know it is hard to understand now, but it will make sense in time. If you were to ever separate your path from theirs, I think Erebor would be lost forever. Don't lose hope, be strong." She advised, placing a hand on my shoulder. Once her hand was gone, so was she, disappearing around a corner and out of sight. With a sigh, I began to head back to the dwarrow's chambers. The halls were silent except for the soft padding of my boots on the stone. My mind mulled over the words Galadriel told me, but I was jarred when a voice called to me.

"Frea." Aragon appeared in a doorway, his sleeping tunic dangling from his shoulder. He looked tired, but smiled at me.

"It's late, you should be in bed." I chastised him as I pushed him back into the room. He lazily crawled into the bed and I pulled the covers up over him. He smiled at me sleepily once more.

"I know but I wanted you to sing to me, like you did one time when I had a nightmare." He asked, a slight pink coming to his cheeks in the dim light. I smiled and nodded, sitting on the side of his bed. After thinking on which song I should sing for him, I began to hum, soon the words left my mouth.

" _Close your eyes, lay your head down_

 _Now it's time to sleep_

 _May you find great adventure_

 _As you lie and dream_

 _If you're scared of the darkness_

 _I will calm your fear_

 _There's a light in the hallway_

 _So you know I'm here_

 _So count your blessings every day_

 _It makes the monsters go away_

 _And everything will be okay_

 _You are not alone_

 _You are right at home_

 _Goodnight, goodnight_."

As I sang, Aragon's eyes slowly shut, falling into a deep sleep. I smiled and brushed some curls from his forehead before looking out the window with a sigh. Suddenly, the door creaked slightly and I jumped up, looking to see a shadow in the the doorway. With silent feet, I walked to the door, finding Thorin in front of me. He looked at me in surprise, but stepped back so I could leave the room and close the door behind me.

"I thought an elf was singing so I stopped to listen. I didn't know you could sing." He said dumbly, looking back to the door. I quirked an eyebrow at him, before folding my arms across my chest.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me." I retorted, my anger still present from this afternoon's quarrel. Thorin nodded, looking down at his feet. I began to walk away, but he fell into step with me, much to my dismay. We walked in silence for a while, before Thorin sighed.

"It seems I have to apologize to you once more. Fili and Kili are the only family I have left, so it scared me to see him covered in blood like that." Thorin confided, staring at the ground as he spoke. My eyes widened at his words admitting he was scared, but I understood his worry. If something were to happen to Hamen besides him dying of old age, I would be lost. He was the closest thing to family I had left.

"I understand. If I was in your position, I would have acted the same way." I replied, turning my gaze to him. His blue eyes met my green ones and a small smile pulled on the corner of his mouth. Soon, we arrived at the dwarrow chambers and the sound of laughing echoed through the hall. Thorin pushed open the door to find Bombur in the midst of a broken bench, a sausage in his hand. I smirked as I stepped over a piece of the shattered wood, sitting myself next to Fili. He smiled at me and placed a chunk of meat into my hand along with his mug of ale.

"Put some meat on your bones. Dwarrowdams shouldn't look like they haven't eaten in years." He joked, winking at me. His words shocked me slightly, but I smiled and bit into the meat. That Fili thought of me as a dwarrowdam was strange. For a moment, in the loud and rough company, I actually felt like a dwarf.


	10. Chapter 10

Early before the sun rose, the company was moving out of the valley and up to the mountains. I had barely slept with the dwarrow snoring drunkenly beside me. In the cool autumn morning, I yawned underneath my hood, rubbing a hand over my face to try and wake up. Thorin was pushing forward far ahead, turning to make sure no one followed us. I trudged along behind him, thinking of which mountain pass to take that would be the safest. Balin fell in place beside me, asking for my thoughts.

"I am debating on which pass would be safest." I told the dwarf, looking up at the mountains ahead of us. "We are close to High Pass, but I have used Red Horn Pass many times without trouble. Both are good options, but there could be orcs waiting for us there in hopes to ambush us." I explained the dilemma to the older dwarf. Balin nodded in thought as we walked, examining the mountains ahead as well.

"Well what about the lesser known passes. Orc wouldn't likely be looking there. Maybe one where wargs can't follow" Balin said thoughtfully, rubbing his long white beard. My mind began to think of the passes not used by many, when one came to mind.

"There is one, but the path is narrow. If there is good weather we should have no troubles." I replied, earning a smile from the old dwarf. He patted me on the shoulder with his large hand before moving ahead of me. Him and Thorin exchanged a few words, then both looked back at me. Thorin looked to his friend and nodded, slowing his pace so that I was walking beside him.

"Can you be sure that we can make it through the pass?" He asked in a low voice. With a sigh, I shook my head.

"It's all dependent on the weather, for rains make the pass slippery and harder to manage, but even so, if we keep focused, I can get us through even in the worst thunderstorms." I told him, looking over the mountains ahead of us. Thorin followed my gaze, giving a sigh as well.

"We will take your pass. We should be able to pass fine, but wargs will have more trouble following. Now let's just hope the weather is on our side." Thorin mumbled, readjusting his sword on his belt. We continued on for the rest of the day, finally making camp at a small stream. Bilbo sat down in a heap next to Bombur, ready to help the dwarf with the cooking. The dwarrow were tired and hungry, having a long day of traveling. With the little energy I still had, I shoulders my bow and began to walk into the woods. Everything was quiet and I breathed in a deep breath, relishing the silence. Dwarrow trampled the ground, not being very good at sneaking. As I glided over the forest floor, footsteps behind me came to my ears. With a groan, I stopped and turned, facing my follower.

"I can hear you. You walk like an oliphant." I said, crossing my arms. The person stopped, before emerging from the thick of the trees.

"You'll have to give me some tips then, for I could barely hear you moving." Fili joked, coming to stand in front of me. I rolled my eyes with a smirk playing on my lips. "So tell me why you're out here all alone?" The blond asked, placing his fists on his hips.

"I was going to hunt and get some extra food for everyone, but I'm fairly certain your stomping chased away all the animals." I said, only hearing the song birds above us. Even the squirrels were hiding for the lumbering footfall of the dwarf.

"I'll try to be quieter." He retorted, placing his finger to his lips. I rolled my eyes again before turning. The dwarf followed close behind, keeping quieter by following where I walked. In no time, a pheasant could be heard. I put my hand up, motioning for Fili to stop. As I listened, I became aware of how close he was behind me. The warmth from his body distracted me, but I shook myself, focusing on the bird in the bushes. FIli picked up a rock as I readied my bow, and with a nod, he threw the stone into the bush. With a flutter of wings, the large bird flew up, attempting to get to the trees. I let my bowstring go, the arrow flying through the air and lodging into the bird's head. With a thump, it fell to the ground dead.

"Remind me not to anger you." Fili joked, brushing past me to get to the fowl. I followed behind, looking over the large bird.

"Bombur will be glad to have something to cook other than stew." I replied, tying a piece of rope to the birds feet. Fili nodded with a soft chuckle, taking the fowl from me. We walked back in silence, me listening for any more game, Fili trying not to annoy me with his heavy walking. On our way back, I got one more smaller pheasant, knowing the dwarrow would be excited for the fresh meat.

When Bombur saw the birds, he clapped his hands excitedly, taking them and handing the smaller one to Bilbo to pluck.

"You should have seen her, she shot both birds through the eye while they were flying. Did you even look at them?" Fili joked, sitting down between me and Kili next to the fire. I smirked and looked at the ground, trying to ignore the comments. The other dwarrow mumbled their approval of my skill, making me feel like a bright light was shining on me, causing me to stand out.

"I guess I just had a lot of practice when I was younger." I said, trying to brush the compliments away.

"Maybe you can shoot Smaug in the eyes, make him regret the day he took Erebor." Ori mumbled, only so I could hear him. I scoffed, listening to the dwarrow talk and laugh. Soon, Bombur and Bilbo had the fowl cooked, and pieces of the birds were being hacked off and handed about. The happy grunting of the dwarrow told me the meat was much appreciated, so I bit into the meat in my hands, the rich meat warming me.

"How far until we reach your pass, lassie?" Dwalin asked, ripping the meat from the leg in his hand with his teeth. I shrugged a little, calculating the distance in my head.

"A few days at the pace we're going at now. It won't take too long." I told the dwarf, getting a nod of satisfaction from him. The others dwarrow were surprised by the fact that Dwalin was being civil, even so far as nice to me. Our truce had not been made known to them and the dwarf was always annoyed by something.

"Well we should get some rest." Thorin ordered, throwing the bones of his meat into the fire before standing up. The others followed suit, Dwalin and I staying up for first watch. As the others soon fell asleep, I yawned slightly before gazing into the fire, listening to Dwalin whittle a small piece of wood with his large knife.

"Thorin told me you were from the village beneath the Blue Mountains." Dwalin said, his deep voice low, sounding like a hum over the quiet of the night. He didn't look up at me, but he waited for me to respond. After a moment, I sighed and replied to the older dwarf.

"Yes. My mother and I lived there before an Orc pack came upon the village. I never went back after she made me leave her." I mumbled, pulling my cloak closer around me. Dwalin's knife stopped moving for a moment at my words, then he continued to carve the wood in his large hands.

"What was she like?" He asked, his voice sounding almost soft. My knees came closer to my chest and I wrapped my arms around my legs, trying to remember every detail of her face.

"She was shorter than most of the humans in our village. And her hair was bright red. I thought it glowed in even complete darkness. And her eyes were pale green. My aunt's lived on the other side of the village, but hardly ever came to visit us. That's all I remember though. I was very young." As I spoke, the memory of my mother came to my mind. Her laugh sounded in my head, light and airy. Then the image of the night she died came to me, her terrified face, her strong arms placing me on the horse, making me leave her behind. The knot in my throat grew and I blinked the tears away, not trusting myself to speak anymore.

"She sounded like a beautiful women." Dwalin said, giving me a sad smile, a hint of another emotion apparent in his eyes when he finally looked into my eyes. I nodded, breaking my gaze away from him. We fell into silence again, until Dwalin spoke again.

"When we lived in the Blue Mountains, I remember passing through that village often. The people there were always happy and smiling, and the women were pretty to look at too. I remember your mother and her sisters very well. Made the best meat pies. I was away when that orc pack came through, but when I came back, the whole village was gone. I was so angry, I tried tracking down the orcs to make them pay for what they did. Balin had to come and physically drag me away. I told myself if I ever found the scum who killed all those people, I would make their last breath a living nightmare." His emotions flooded into his words, anger and guilt filling his words. My brows furrowed at his words, confused as to why he would care so much, but I let it go. The village was kind to dwarf travelers, but he had no roots to the community.

"If you find them, I will hold them down so they can't get away." I growled lowly, Dwalin giving a nod in agreement. We fell into silence once more, not saying another word until it was time for the next watch to begin. As I curled under my blanket, Dwalin gave me a nod and a smile, which I returned before letting sleep take over me, the small fox coming to find my warm cloak for the night.


	11. Chapter 11

We reached the pass in three days time, beginning the ascent into the cloud covered rocks. The first day went easily enough, with the weather holding out, but I could feel the change in the air. A storm was coming and I pushed Thorin to keep going. The further into the pass we were, the closer we were to getting to a cave or some shelter before the rain came. But with the pass narrowing and the dwarrow tiring, it was a slow crawl.

"Lass!" Dwalin called from behind. As I turned to look at the dwarf, his large finger pointed to the sky ahead of us. There, looming ever closer were dark thunder caps. Flashes of lightning cracked in the large clouds, the thunder rolling and echoing through the cliffs around us. A string of curse words left my mouth, both in common tongue and in elven.

"Stay pressed against the wall and be cautious of your feet. One wrong move on the wet rocks and you could be lost in that crag below." I bellowed to the company, and in seconds, sheets of water fell on us. We continued on, the lighting and thunder crashing around us. As I led the way, I could hear the dwarrow talking to one another, warning of loose stones and slippery patches. Took had buried his head into my tunic, his body flinching at every boom of thunder. A yell from behind me causing me to turn just as Dwalin pulled Bilbo away from the chasm below. Rocks tumbled down from where the hobbit had once stood.

"We need to find shelter!" Thorin yelled next to me, his voice barely audible over the storm. As he spoke, a large boulder flew through the air, crashing into the side of the mountain above us. My hand shot out and pushed Thorin against the rock face, stones bouncing off our backs as debris fell above us.

"This is no storm!" Balin called, looking into the fogged chasm. I looked as well to see Giant shapes moving. Stone giants came into the clear air, my stomach dropped. In haste, I pulled Thorin ahead, wanting to get out of the fight before the whole company was killed. Just as Kill was about to grab Fili's hand, the last few dwarrow were separated, and a large boulder hit just above them. A shout left my lips as I watched helplessly. After a few seconds of searching, I heard Kili yell to us.

"They're alright!" I shouted to the group around me. We raced to meet them, all of us counting to see if anyone was missing. The storm had passed and Took jumped from my shirt, wanting to get out of my wet tunic.

"Where's Bilbo?" Bofur yelled, looking around frantically.

"There!" Ori yelled, the only thing visible were white finger tips grabbing at the side of the cliff for dear life. The dwarf dove to catch him, but not in time. Thorin then jumped over the side, hoisting up the hobbit before losing his grip. My body hit the ground and my hands caught his forearm. Thorin gasped and his large hand gripped my arm, his fingers digging into my wet sleeve for a hold. Dwalin grabbed my waist and pulled us up. In our momentum, My back hit the cliff wall, Thorin's chest pressing against me. If Took had stayed in my shirt, he would have been squished against the dwarf's chest. Blue eyes looked down at me in surprise, but the warmth of his chest left, leaving my body feeling cold in the damp clothes.

"I thought we lost out burglar." Dwalin joked, slapping the sopping Bilbo on his back. I smirked in relief that everyone was safe for now, but I heard Thorin growl.

"He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place

amongst us. Dwalin!" Everyone was silent and I could see the hurt on the small hobbit's face. He met my gaze and I gave him a warm smile. Even if the dwarrow didn't want him, I enjoyed his company. Took made a yip sound to me, his little red body farther up the trail. I sighed and shouldered my bow and quiver, leading the company farther on. The red ball of fur disappeared ahead and the moth of a cave came into view. It's large mouth yawned ominously and I shuddered at the cold air coming from the opening. But the dwarf group had no issue with the cave as they pushed past me into the stone haven. Soon, Bilbo stood next to me, a sad smile on his lips. My hand found his shoulder and I gave it a squeeze before following the dwarrow inside.

"It looks safe enough." Dwalin said, coming to stand next to me. Took was at his heels, having taken a liking to the gruff dwarf, his golden eyes locked on to the large black beard above him. I nodded though an uneasy feeling gnawed at my gut.

"Search the back; caves in mountains are seldom unoccupied." Thorin commanded, tearing off his cloak and wringing out the water from the heavy material. Dwalin lit a small lantern, leaving my side to search. I pulled off my gear, setting it close to the front of the cave. Took lapped at the rain water from Kili's cloak that the dwarf was wringing out, shaking his head as the water hit his face.

A clatter of wood caused me to jump, my dagger appearing in my hands. Fili stepped toward me and grabbed my hand. My eyes met his and He gave me a smirk. He looked over at Gloin and I noticed the pile of firewood at is feet. My cheeks flared red at my mistake, but the darkness in the cave hid the blush.

"No fires. Not in this place. Get some sleep. We leave first light." Thorin commanded. The dwarrow grumbled, but complied. I slid to the ground, Took coming to rest in my lap for a moment, but he watched Dwalin and Thorin move about the cave. The brothers soon found their place beside me, their bodies closer than usual to keep the three of us warm. The two talked for a while in low voices, but I stayed quiet, petting the red fur in my lap absently and aware of any noise that wasn't a snore.

"How much farther do we have to go until we're through the mountains?" Fili asked, Kili having fallen asleep before him. In the dark, his blue eyes studied my face while his fingers played with the blade of a knife in his hand. It was astonishing how charming and kind he could act while still being able to kill someone easily.

"Another day I would think. That is if we don't run into anymore trouble." I answered, pulling my legs up to my chin, pulling Took up to rest on my shoulder. The fox sighed in his sleep, nuzzling closer to my neck for warmth. Fili chuckled and his finger stroked the small nose of the animal. In reaction, Took, lifted his head and laid his chin in Fili's hand, not letting the dwarf have it back. The two of us chuckled at the small animal and were silent for a moment. My eyes drifted around the cave, taking in each dwarf. Then my eyes found Bilbo. Fili must have followed my gaze because he spoke up once more.

"I don't share my uncle's view of him, you know." He mumbled, shifting uncomfortably next to me. It was true that the hobbit wasn't used to the life on the road and would complain a little. But Bilbo tried hard to fit in. Unlike me, he let the dwarrow win arguments and let them walk on him like a doormat. He would give his life for them if it meant they would accept him.

"Then maybe you should tell him that." I replied, yawning and rubbing my eye with the heel of my hand. Fili stayed quiet as he thought over what I said, so I sat listening to the noises in the cave. Soon a restless sleep fell over me and I dozed.

Not long after I dropped off, the sound of shuffling feet stirred me. My eyes opened to see Bilbo above me, his things packed and walking towards the entrance. His eyes met mine, but he didn't stop, just gave me another sad smile before turning to the mouth of the cave once more. I sighed in disappointment, but the hobbit had made up his mind. Who was I to stop him? A warm mass shifted beside me and Fili's back pushed against mine, causing me to stiffen. But my attention was grabbed by the whispered conversation at the mouth of the cave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bofur asked, worry in his voice.

"Back to Rivendell."

"No, no, you can't turn back now, you're part of the Company. You're one of us." The dwarf pleaded. I sat up slightly, Took giving a groan in protest of being moved. In the dark, I cold see Thorin was awake as well, his face deep in thought as he listened to the conversation as well. At some point in my sleep, Took had crawled to the leader and was now asleep with his back pressed into the dwarf's thigh.

"I'm not though, am I? Thorin said I should never have come, and he was right. I'm not a Took,

I'm a Baggins, I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have run out my door." Bilbo replied, I could hear the sadness in his voice. He was homesick and he felt unwanted. My heart went to him in understanding. He was stuck in an unknown place far from those who wanted him.

"You're homesick; I understand." Bofur responded, trying to get the halfling to see reason and stay. The trip back would be even more dangerous for him all by his lonesome.

"No, you don't, you don't understand! None of you do — you're dwarves and Frea is a Ranger. You're all used to to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere." Bilbo said, his voice rising in volume slightly. I felt a pang of hurt at his words. Thorin frowned at his words, looking over at me. That's when our eyes met and I tuned out the whispers. Thorin held my gaze, his thoughts running through his features. We had common ground, him and I. Neither of us had a place where we belonged. His home was taken and my mine was burned to the ground. We were wanderers, lost in the world trying to find a hovel to call our own.

"What's that?" The question pulled me from my reverie as the sound of wheels grinding and mechanical noises filled the cave. Thorin looked as well when a crack been to form in the cave. I jumped to my feet and called for Took, who scampered to me with fear and wriggled his way into my pack while Thorin was shouting for the others to wake up. Bofur came running at me as I began to slip after Fili. The company fell into the tunnel, sliding into one another. My body slid down next to Thorin, who grabbed at me, pulling me close so that we could avoid the large rock faces on either side. Suddenly, the chute disappeared under us and Thorin landed on top of me in a large wooden cage. Before I could even get my bearing, the sounds of goblins came to my ears. As I was pulled up by rough hands, I wrenched my arms from they grip, my dagger stabbing one in the neck and another in the eye before five goblins tackled me to the ground. Clawed feet kicked at my face and stomach, causing me to cough the blood out of my mouth. Dwarf swears filled the cavern, my body curled in on itself to protect my stomach. After a few more kicks, I was dragged to my feet, being held by three goblins while one kept a dagger at my back.

Everything was haze as I was dragged through the tunnels and passageways of the goblin's home, the dwarves being pushed forward behind me. Soon, we stopped and I was thrown backwards into the dwarf group, strong arms catching me and pulling me into their chest. I shook my head and righted myself, Thorin's eyes looking into mine. Gold hair came into my view and I turned to see Fili looking down at me. He had caught me and a small smile was on his face when he saw I was alright.

"Who would be so bold as to come into my kingdom armed? Spies? Thieves?" A booming voice echoed over us. My eyes snapped to the Great Goblin looming over us. He was giant compared to the goblins around him, with great fat rolled swaying on is body. his giant chin waved with every word that came from his yellow and jagged mouth. A goblin in front of me stepped forward and bowed.

"Dwarves, your Malevolence. We found them on the front porch. And a Ranger. A pretty one at that." With his words, I was pulled away from Fili, two goblins holding onto my arms tightly, presenting me to the mass of fat and warts.

"A nice play thing for when I am bored." The monstrous goblin growled, bending to look at me closer. I spat at him, hitting his left eye when he got close enough. A fist connected with my stomach and the air left my body. Dwarrow voice rose in defense, a few trying to rush past the goblins holding them back. I was then grabbed by the large hand, loud footsteps moving back toward the large throne of bones and weapons. I was set on the ground at his feet,his large hand stroking me like a cat. I felt disgusting and didn't dare look at the dwarf company to see their expressions.

"So, what are you doing in these parts? Speak!" The goblin bellowed, this voice echoing off the cavern walls. I glanced at the company. None spoke. Thorin's eyes were locked onto me and I held his gaze.

"Well then, if you won't talk, we'll make her squawk!" The goblin shouted, his followers cheering from all over the cave. My head shot up and many of the dwarrow looked at me with horror. The Great Goblin grabbed my hair and pulled my up, making me sit on his knee, his large stomach pressing against my side. My head was pulled back until my neck was exposed, the clasp of my cloak ripped away.

"WAIT!" Thorin bellowed, stepping forward. The company had pushed him behind, protecting him from the eyes of the goblins. I looked at him from the corner of my eye, wishing he hadn't stepped forward. I knew we wouldn't get out alive, even if we complied to the creature's wants.

"Look who it is! Thorin, Son of Thrain, son of Thror. The King Under the Mountain." The Goblin tossed me aside, rising from his throne to bow mockingly to Thoin, but he looked up at him suddenly. "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't _have_ a you're not a _king_ , which makes you nobody, really. I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Perhaps you know of whom I speak. An old enemy of yours. A Pale Orc astride a White Warg."

Thorin glared at the goblin in shock and my stomach dropped. So he was still alive. And he had ordered his troops to slaughter my mother.

"Azog the Defiler as destroyed. he was slain in battle long ago." The leader of our company growled, not wanting to believe the goblin. His eyes met mine and I gave him a sorrowful look.

"So you think his defiling days are done? Send word to the Pale Orc, tell him I found his prize." The Goblin King called, a goblin running off, laughing menacingly as he went. Fear struck my heart and I looked around for anything I could use to help us escape. My eyes caught something small and metal, and a knife was stuck in the side of a skull next to me. Slowly, I moved to hide the skull behind me, my eyes on the goblins around us as the Great One danced around the throne, singing about the tortures he would inflict upon the company. Thorin met my gaze and I gave him a guilty look. I had never known about that cave entrance, for if I had, we wouldn't have been in this mess. Thorin gave me a small smile, trying to reassure me. But I could see the fear in his eyes. My fingers slowly worked the small knife out of the skull and once it was free, I concealed it in my sleeve. When my chance arose, I dashed to Thorin, who caught me in his arms. My left arm snaked around his neck, my mouth pressed against his ear. The company looked at me in shock, for I had never acted in such a way with Thorin before. Their surprise made the ruse all the more believable.

"In my hand, take the dagger, but be discreet." I whispered, Thorin, bowing his head into my neck to listen, taking in a long breath and letting it go quietly, the warmth tingling my neck. His strong arm wrapped around my waist while his other found my hand and grasped it, making it appear as if he was holding my hand. The small dagger slipped into his hand and he hid it in his sleeve, wrapping both arms around me and pulling back to pressing his forehead to mine. He understood the trick I had played and was working with me to fool the goblins. The Goblin King stopped singing and laughed.

"Look at the star crossed lovers. It's a shame that you are all about to die. I know! Let's make it more fun! Let's kill his little lover first. Right in front of him. And with his own sword no less!" The disgusting creature bellowed, going to our pile of weapons and picked up the blade that was taken from Thorin. He unsheathed the blade and recoiled at the sight of the blade.

"I know that sword! The Goblin Cleaver! The Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks!" He shrieked, running away from the blade, trampling a few of his subjects as he ran to his throne. his subjects screamed as well, many rushing the company and beating us. I was torn away from Thorin, my body was thrown to the ground and a goblin stood above me, whipping at me with a rope. Thorin landed not far from me, his arms and legs held as a goblin held a knife to his throat. My body struggles to get to him, to try and save him when an explosion sounds in the cave and blinding white light fills the cavern. I shut my eyes and feel the goblins that were holding me down pushed by the force of the explosion.


	12. Chapter 12

Everything was dark for a moment, but I rose slowly, looking to Thorin who sat up as well, blinking in the darkness. My hand grabbed him and he flinched, but his eyes found mine and he nodded to me, pulling himself up. I looked around as light returned to the cavern, when a tall grey shadow stepped forward from the shadows.

"Take up arms!" Gandalf's voice boomed, his sword in one hand and his staff in the other. I dived for the pile of weapons, throwing Orcist to Thorin and retrieving my own blade and bow, slinging my pack over my shoulder. The others followed suit, gathering all that we could before the goblins came at us. The Goblin King shrieked at Gandalf, ordering his goblins to kill us, his mace swinging down at Nori. Before I could think, I jumped in front of the mace, blocking the dwarf from the killing blow with my bow. Thorin was by my side, using his body to shove the Great Goblin. The Goblin King stumbled backward, taking a few of his subjects with him as he stumbled over the edge of his platform. I turned to Nori and gave him a nod before turning him towards where Gandalf was.

"Follow me! Run!" Gandalf bellowed, running down a bridge. I stayed behind, killing any goblins too close to us as we ran, pushing the dwarrow to move faster. Once off the bridge, Ori and Balin push me out of the way to cut the ropes holing the bridge and platform. Loud crashes and bangs filled the cave as the goblins plummeted down, ensnared in ropes and rotting wood. I sprinted ahead, signaling for the company to follow me, Gandalf right next to me as we escaped. I dived into the tunnel, leading the way down as Gandalf whacked a stone above me. The large boulder fell in front of me, just barely missing my foot by an inch. It rolled ahead of us, the cries of goblins muffled from the other side and crushed bodied appeared under our feet.

Suddenly the boulder fell away, opening onto a large bridge. The way out was a few hundred meters in front of me, but in a flash, the Goblin King crawled onto the boards in front of us. I skidded to a halt, a hand pulling me back as I came too close to the creature. Thorin's arm pushed me behind him, Gandalf standing in front of the company. Goblins poured from every crevice, surrounding us on all sides. Every sword in the company was pointed out to the goblin hoard, and I let out a long breath to steady my hands. The thought of dying in a cave where some goblin would tear away the flesh from my bones was all that came to mind.

"You thought you could escape me?!" The Great Goblin laughed, waving his mace in the air at us. With a lunge, Gandalf jabbed the King in the eye with his staff, causing it to cry out in pain and grab at his face, his large weapon dropping to the floor. In another quick movement, Gandalf's sword slashed the stomach of the Great Goblin. With a groan, the goblin feel to his knees. For good measure, My own sword lashed out and slit his large fatty neck. It wasn't enough to kill him, but it made his speech hard.

"That'll do it." He said in a garbled whisper. With another jab, Gandalf's sword slid though the Goblin King's throat and killing him. The great mass of flesh fell towards us, causing the bridge to shake and sway. The company tried to steady themselves, but suddenly the bridge snapped, starting to slide down the large slope beneath us. My hand clamped onto the rail next to me, my other hand grabbing onto Thorin's tunic. His arm wrapped around me, bracing against each other of the impact of hitting the floor below at such a high speed. I shut my eyes but the bridge slowed down, collapsing beneath us and piling around us as we reached the floor beneath. With a groan, I pushed the debris off of me, Thorin's upper body not far from me. The others were buried as well and moving limbs to make sure nothing was broken.

"Well… That could have been worse!" Bofur exclaimed, tossing a piece of wood to the side. I scoffed and looked up at the dwarf higher up on the pile of rubble when I noticed the giant mass of dead flesh falling toward us.

"Mahal." Thorin groaned, seeing the same thing I did. The pile of rubble crushed into us as the dead Goblin King slammed into us. Gandalf was the only one not crushed under the weight. Boards pressed me into the pile, and as I struggled, Thorin fell from the pile after much struggling.

"Hold still, Frea." He ordered me, grabbing my shoulders and slowly pulling me out of the rubble. My legs became free but something felt wrong as I stood on my feet. My right leg couldn't hold my weight well. But there wasn't any time to look closer. Goblins came streaming down the walls from tunnels only known to them.

"There are too many to fight!" Dwalin yelled, coming to stand with Thorin and I. "Is there a way out?" The dwarf asked me, his thick brows coming taught with worry.

"I'm not sure. I've never been in the caves here!" I said, panic in my heart as I looked around.

"Come! The only thing that will save us now is the sunlight! Hurry!" Gandalf shouted, leading the way down the only tunnel near us. I pushed Thorin and Dwalin ahead, and the first step I took sent shooting pain up my leg. I gritted my teeth and hissed but kept going. It was either ignore the pain and push forward or to be captured once more. The company ran on ahead, Bombur waddling as fast as he could through the tunnels. My breath came shorter with each step I took, the searing pain getting worse and worse.

The tunnel wound it's way deeper into the mountain, farther and farther, almost as if we were entering the center of the earth. But suddenly the dank and moldy air seemed fresher with the breeze from outside the mountain blowing into our faces. The goblins had fallen back some time ago, something about these tunnels made them stop. If my mind wasn't so focused on keeping my legs moving, I would have stopped to wonder why. But my thoughts were jarred by the sudden explosion of light that came to me from in front of the company. The rocky mountain opened for us and soon, we were standing on the hills beneath the mountains. The company ran down the hill for a way, Gandalf slowing to take a count of the dwarrow. I stopped as well, my right leg not letting me run anymore.

"Five, six, seven, eight...Bifur, Bofur...that's ten...Fili, Kili...that's twelve...and Bombur that makes thirteen. Frea there making fourteen. Where's Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit? Where is our hobbit?!" Gandalf yelled to us as we gathered around him, breathing heavily. We all looked around for the halfling, trying to see if he was just farther behind us, but there was no one to be seen. My heart raced at the thought of the small hobbit by himself in the mountains, or worse. He could still be in the tunnels of the mountain, hiding from the goblins. My hand ran through my hair in anxiety, trying to remember when I saw Bilbo last. Took's head pooped up from my pack, sniffing the air, looking for signs of danger.

"Mahal! Curse the halfling! Now he's lost?!" Dwalin yelled, tossing his hands up in anger. I sighed and placed my hands on my hips, trying to block out the angry dwarf and remember what had happened to everyone when the trapdoor had opened.

"I thought he was with Dori!" Gloin accused, pointing his axe at the white-haired dwarf. Dori looked shocked and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Don't look at me! He was nowhere in my sight!" Dori defended, growling at Gloin.

"Where did you all last see him!?" Gandalf yelled over the dwarrow. They quieted for a moment to think, when Nori spoke up.

"I think I saw 'im slip away when we got captured. The goblin didn't see 'im." The dwarf said, leaning on his bludgeon. I looked among the trees behind us, hoping to see the little halfling between the trunks. There was no movement though and my stomach turned with worry.

"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf exclaimed, becoming impatient with eh company by the second.

"I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door! We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone." Thorin answered, sheathing Orcist and looking at each of us, his eyes lingering on me. I furrowed my brows at him in disbelief. Bilbo wouldn't leave if the rest of us were in danger. It wasn't in his nature to leave the company in the way of harm. I looked away from his gaze, shifting my weight more to my good leg. A small whine in my ear told me Took smelled something, but I didn't bother to look for the pain was making it hard to focus

"No. He isn't." a voice came from behind us and Bilbo came out from behind a tree. The company surrounded him, leaving me and Thorin standing behind. Gandalf looked shocked at the presence of the hobbit, but he laughed happily with relief.

"Bilbo Baggins! I've never been so glad to see someone in my life." The grey wizard rejoiced, smiling down at the halfling. The brothers looked him over with surprise, chuckling to the smallest memeber.

"We'd given you up!" Kili admitted to Bilbo, giving him a small smile.

"How on Earth did you make it past the Goblins?!" Fili pressed, not seeing a single scratch on him. I thought the same thing, as well as how I did not hear him behind us at all. I knew hobbits could be silent as a shadow, but I never even saw the hobbit in the trees behind us. All the dwarrow wondered as well and an awkward silence fell over the group as we waited for a response. After a moment, Bilbo gave a laugh and shook his head, running his hands over his waistcoat, almost as if he was trying to hide something. My brows came together in confusion as to what the halfling could be hiding, but I didn't want to call upon it in front of the company.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back!" Gandalf exclaimed, giving a smile, but I saw his eyes trained on Bilbo's pocket. My thoughts came back to the company when Thorin came to stand beside me, making himself heard.

"It matters. I want to know, why? Why did you come back?" He asked, looking doubtfully at Bilbo. The tone of his voice was a forced control. Thorin wanted to lash out at the small creature, but he kept his temper in check. His quarrels with me had obviously made him see the error in jumping to conclusions. I turned my gaze from the dwarf's face beside me to the hobbit in front of me. Hours before he was speaking of leaving to go home, and here he was, ready to follow us once again.

"Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back, because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can." Bilbo said, giving Thorin a serene smile. A sting of tears came to my eyes, but I forced it back, giving the halfling a smile. Silence fell upon the company as the dwarrow took in the words Bilbo had spoken, each giving a thankful smile to the hobbit.

The silence was broken all too soon by the menacing howls of wargs. My head snapped to the mountain and several of the creatures were running down the mountainside, snarling and growling with their eyes locked on us.

"Out of the frying pan…" Thorin whispered, backing away slowly.

"Into the fire. Run! RUN!"


	13. Chapter 13

Gandalf yelled, turning and pushing dwarf after dwarf down the hill. I pulled my bow from my back, notching arrows and releasing them into the oncoming pack as I limped backwards. My leg was screaming from the pain of having to walk farther, but the need to protect the company was greater, so I ignored the burning and grinding sensations in my flesh. When the number of wargs grew too great, I turned and ran as fast as my legs would carry me, foul jaws not far behind me. The dwarrow had begun to kill the beasts, making our run less dangerous. I had run to ahead of the company only to slide to the end of a cliff. Thorin slid into me, almost sending me off the edge had he not caught me by my waist. The grey wizard looked around for an escape but there was none.

"Up! Into the trees! Come on! Bilbo, Climb!" Gandalf screamed at the dwarrow, boosting up Ori into the nearest pine. Each one made it into the trees and I looked up at the branch overhead. If my leg wasn't in bad shape, I could jump to it. I delayed by letting other dwarrow go up the trunk, being injured only slowed them down. Thorin was by my side and in an instant, he had grabbed me by my waist and hoisted me up to the limb, his own body not far behind. Jowls snapped closer and closer with each jump of the wargs until suddenly, they all stopped and backed away. I looked to see a white warg walking its way towards us. A hideous orc with one arm astride it, a vile smile stretching over his yellowed and sharp teeth. My blood stopped flowing at the sight of him. At the sight of his cold blue eyes, memories came flooding back to me.

 _A woman's scream. The body of her son. Standing above the small, bloody body was a pale creature. He smiled down as he watched the life leave the boy, then looked up at me. He wanted to watch my blood flow as well. My mother's voice was muffled as I watched him walk towards us, his sword chopping the woman down, her blood splattering onto his chest and face._

"No." I whispered, my body stiffening as I watched the Pale orc.

"Azog?!" Thorin quaked, our eyes locked onto the him, "It cannot be." Black speech came from his mouth, and though I couldn't understand, I knew he wanted to kill Thorin. In an instant, the wargs were jumping as high as they could, their claws digging into the bark of the massive pines. My arrows lodged into as many skulls as I could see. But as I reached for another, my hand met only air. As I looked down at the teeth and claws below, a ball of fire crashed into the face of one of the beats, causing it to yelp in pain and sop its onslaught. Soon the trees around us and a few wargs were alight with flames. The dwarrow began to cheer as the beasts backed away from the flames, but soon the tree began to shift. Cries of victory turned to cries of fear as the tree fell towards the cliff below. The massive trunk dangled over the drop and I wrapped my arm around the closest branch.

"Ah! Oh No!" Ori screamed, his grip coming loose from the tree, the only thing to grab was Dori's leg.

"Ori!" I called, inching closer to the two, my good leg lifting towards the dwarf. Once he grabbed my leg, I pulled both of us up onto the trunk. The trunk began to shiver under me and I looked to see Thorin rising from the branches and striding down the tree towards Azog. My heart raced as I saw the dwarf leader charge the White Warg, his sword raised. Before I knew what was happening, my feet were moving down the trunk as well. My hand drew the sword at my side and I followed the dwarf ahead of me, not seeing Bilbo get up as well. As I walked, another warg rider came to view. He was going to attack the small hobbit in front of me. The rider closed in, I shoved the small halfling forward, taking the brunt of the teeth into my leg. I screeched in pain but the hilt of my sword crashed into the warg's eye, causing it to let go of me. One swift movement and the warg was dead, causing the orc to launch itself at me, pinning me to the ground. He attempted to choke the life from me with his gnarled fingers, but my hand slowly reached for his own small blade on his side. His menacing smile faded when the knife slid through his temple and his grip on my throat lessened. As I sat up, I saw Thorin be thrown by the white warg, his body rolling towards the edge of the cliff.

"No!" I bellowed and before I knew it, my body was careening over the cliff with Thorin, catching him around the chest with one arm, and digging the orc dagger I was still clutching into the side of the cliff, the steel significantly slowing our drop. We teared down the cliff towards the trees below, branches slashing and giving under our weight. All at once, the knife hit a large rock and was pulled from my grip and we fell to the ground below, Thorin's weight landing on top of me. I gasped for air, not being able to take in a single breath. Above us, I cold see giant eagles flying above, and when they left, one stayed behind, circling above. I pushed Thorin off me, waving and moving in hopes that he would see it. He finished another circle then flew off towards the others. I had never felt more afraid in that moment. A groan pulled me from my fear and I turned to see Thorin laying on the ground. I pulled my body to him, relief flowing over me at the thought that he was still alive.

"Where-?" He asked, trying to sit up, but his arms gave under his weight. I pulled him to sit up against the tree closest to us, pulling his tunic down to look at his wounds. Teeth marks and slashes covered his chest, but only one gash worried me, blood pooling in the wound before spilling over.

"We fell off the cliff, but I managed to get us down somewhat safely. The others were rescued by Eagles. I'm not sure if they know that we are alive." I informed him, looking around us for anything to clean his wound. Thorin nodded, looking around us. The sound of a stream came to me in the silence.

"You hear it as well." Thorin stated, his eyes locked on the same trees to our right. I nodded, a smile coming to me before I looked back at him.

"Can you walk?"

"I think so."

"We'll find out then." I retorted, standing and helping him up. He turned to begin walking and I began to follow, until I put weight on my right leg. My knee gave under the pain and I fell forward, hissing in pain. Thorin was quick to catch me, my head resting in the crook of his neck.

"Your leg." he stated, helping me to right myself. We both looked down to see the bloodied mess that was my leg. The foot was bent a nasty way from the goblin town and the warg bite had caused the skin of my thigh to become ribbons of crimson.

"Mahal." I mumbled, wincing at the sight of my blood mixing with the dirt and soot that caked my legs and skin. With a grunt, my arm was placed around Thorin's neck and my legs were scooped into his arms.

"I can—"

"If you say you can walk, I will drop you in that thorn bush over there. Let me help you and be quiet about it." Thorin growled, walking towards the sound of the stream.

"You're injured as well, that warg threw you like a corn husk doll and we fell fairly far down the cliff." I tried to reason, though my body was feeling the tiredness and pain that my mind had blocked with the threat of imminent death earlier.

"Yes but my legs function just fine." He teased and as if on command, he stumbled from a root, almost falling face forward on top of me. Thorin caught himself and stopped for a second to make sure he didn't lose his grip. Then his eyes met mine.

"Shut up." He growled, reading the incredulous look on my face. I scoffed lightly, having no energy to argue with him. Being chased by goblins, wargs and orcs was tiring in itself, never mind with an already busted leg. Thorin picked his way carefully through the forest, the high cliff to our left. Soon the forest receded with only small trees pushing against a small brook that ran along the side of the cliff before lazily turning to the right and down into the forest. An outcropping or rock hung over the side of the bank, giving a natural shelter from the elements.

"Our luck has returned it seems." Thorin stated, walking to the shelter and setting me down gently on my good leg, where I balanced skillfully.

"I need to see how bad my leg is." I was more to myself, hopping my way to the gently slopping bank of the brook. Thorin went to grab my arm to balance me, but the motion caught me off guard and I began to fall to the left. On instinct, my injured leg landed on the ground and pain shot through me. I hissed and hopped onto my good leg once more, putting distance between myself and the dwarf.

"I can handle it." I barked, regaining my balance before finishing my journey to the embankment.

"It would not kill you to accept someone's help." Thorin quipped, frustration in his voice.

"I'll take your help when I know what is wrong with my leg." I retorted, easing myself down into the water slightly, laying my leg in the cool stream of water. The water stung in the bite marks and I winced as I pulled off my boot, but the blood and dirt slowly melted away, revealing the bulge of a bone out of place and the meat of my thigh had four gashes in it. I sighed and looked around for something to bite on before a piece of branch was held out to me.

"I've set a few bones in my life, let me." He said, looking down at my leg through the little cloth that was left of my pants. I nodded and took the branch, biting down hard into the wood, my hands holding at my knee to pull against the resetting of my limb. Thorin's calloused hands wrapped gently around my ankle and foot, lift up slightly and slowly. It was the most gentle thing I had seen the dwarf do since I had met him. His blue eyes looked into mine and I nodded, taking in a deep breath. Without breaking eye contact, Thorin pulled and twisted, the bone snapping back into place with a pop. I cried out, the sound being muffled by the wood as I bit the small branch in half. Thorin held onto my ankle, his thumb doing small circles on my skin. My short breaths returned to normal as I stared down at my leg. If it weren't for the forming bruises and swelling, it would have looked as if nothing had happened to me. Tears prickled at my eyes, but I looked anywhere but at the dwarf. I didn't like feeling weak, especially not in front of Thorin.

"I shouldn't walk on it, but we need a fire before the sun sets." I mumbled to the dwarf, tossing the wood pieces aside. Thorin nodded and set my foot down before rising and silently heading towards the forest. I was glad he had left for the tears of pain slowly fell down my cheeks. I had never been this badly hurt in a place I wasn't familiar with before and it scarred me. Either Hamen was there to help or I knew the closest town to which I could take shelter and gather my strength. But now, for all I knew, the closest hut could have been miles away. My hands began to shake and I stared into the rippling water, trying to calm myself. I was already injured, I didn't need Thorin to know I had no idea where we were. My breath came in and out of my body in long, shaking gulps of air. By the time the dwarf came back, I had regained composure and even hobbled my way under the outcropping.

"You should have waited for me to help you." Thorin chided, dropping the wood and kindling not far from me.

"You knew I wouldn't have done that." I replied, moving forward to the wood and building the fire we needed for the night. "Were you able to hold onto your knife? I left mine back in Goblin town." Thorin nodded with his brows furrowed together, removing a long ornate dagger from his belt. As the flames licked the pieces of dried wood, I tucked the blade into the midst of the fire. Thorin went to the river with an empty water skin, filling it for us to drink. As I watched him, I had realized this was the first time we had ever truly been alone without another dwarf or Gandalf present. I was surprised that we hadn't angered one another already in the short time we had fallen away from the company. My thoughts were interrupted when he came back, handing my the skin before sitting beside me. I took a few sips of the cold water, my dry and dust covered throat glad for the relief.

"So what do you plan on doing with my knife?" He asked as I handed him the skin. Water dripped from his beard and onto his shirt as he drank deeply, also relishing in the cool clear drink.

"I need to stop my leg from bleeding if we ever want to leave here and find the others." I stated, pulling on the small hilt to see the blade. There was a faint orange glow to the metal and I sighed, straightening my leg to look at the wounds better. With a quick motion, I pressed the blade to my flesh, a sizzling sound filled the air. I winced in pain, but I had done this many times before. After the second gash was burned shut, Thorin's hand wrapped around my wrist.

"You're shaking. Take a rest for a moment." He said quietly, and only then did I feel the tremors of my hand as he held my arm. My body was shutting down from the pain. I dropped the dagger and Thorin slowly let go of my wrist. Both of us looked down at my thigh, the two worst had been sealed and the remaining two had stopped bleeding some time before. I sighed and met Thorin's gaze before I noticed his wounds through his dirtied tunic.

"You should let me look at those." I mumbled, shifting towards him. Thorin glanced at his wounds before looking into my green eyes once more. I moved forward slowly, not sure if he would let me closer or not. When I reached out and pulled aside his shirt, his muscles tensed at the touch of my fingers against his chest. The wound that concerned me earlier had stopped bleeding, but it was red from irritation of dirt and sweat.

"Take off your tunic." I ordered, reaching for the water skin beside him. He hesitated for a moment before peeling the dieted fabric away from his skin. I was used to healing other Rangers in the field but I had never seen the large muscles that the dwarf had. Many of the men I had helped were lean, from long days of traveling and sparse meals throughout the day. Thorin was much different. His build was that of a blacksmith, with strong arms. It was a build that I never expected royalty to have, though I never met anyone who was even remotely considered royalty.

"This might sting." I warned, taking the cork from the skin and slowly pouring the water over his chest. The muscles of is stomach pulled in from the cool liquid as well as the pain from the dirt being pulled from the wound. But Thorin didn't make a sound, just quietly watched as I gently ran my fingers over the gash to make sure there was nothing left behind. Once I was finished, I gave a slight nod before replacing the cork of the skin.

"This is the first time we haven't fought since we met in the hobbit's hole." Thorin commented, smirking at the thought. I scoffed at his words.

"Don't spoil it now." I teased, turning to the fire and adding a piece of wood. Thorin chuckled as he pulled his shirt over his head and leaned against the wall behind him, his eyes watching the flames in front of us. A silence fell upon us as we rested from the harrowing day. the absence of the other dwarrow was evident in the lack of snoring and talking. Neither Thorin nor I had the need to talk when the others were around, we preferred to listen and observe. For the first time since I met the troop of travelers, I missed the loud noises only a dwarf could create.

"I'll take first watch." Thorin commented, shifting to sit up straighter against the stone wall. I nodded, the exhaustion filling my body with every moment. I slid down the wall, my hands as a pillow and my eyes closed, though see didn't come instantly. As I lay there, the warmth of the fire on my face, Thorin began to hum lightly, his deep voice reverberating gently off the cliff face and out into the wild expanse before us. It was the tune he and his company had sung in the hobbit hole which now seemed like a millennia ago. The feeling of loneliness came back as it did when I first heard the melody. But the loneliness I had felt then was not the same loneliness I felt now. I felt alone because of the missing company members. Thorin must have felt the same. He must have assumed I was asleep because fingers suddenly brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen across my face. The gesture was small but the feeling that he accepted me slowly worked through my mind. And the loneliness drifted away as sleep fell over me.


	14. Chapter 14

Thorin and I rested for a few days by the bend of the stream. The pain of my wounds slowly subsided and I could hobble around without the need of Thorin's arm around me. The urge to find the company itched at us, so we prepared by hunting and gathering what we could. We stayed together, quietly walking through the woods as we checked traps and found edible plants. There was not much conversation, but it was peaceful. I became accustomed to the dwarf and his natural need to protect something. With the company far away by now, he only had me to look after. Which was no small feat for Thorin since I didn't make it easy. On many occasions, he would turn around to find me gone and would run through the trees to find me once more. He would refrain from yelling at me though because it wouldn't solve anything. He accepted the fact that I was independent but when either of us couldn't see the other, the worry of being alone set in.

As I walked quietly through the forest, my eyes looked for the traps we had set the day before. The pain in my leg was almost gone, but I wasn't as strong as I had wished to be before we left the next morning to find the company. Thorin was not far behind, treading almost as quietly as I was, which was something I had never heard any dwarf do. We stayed close as I bent to examine the trap, a dead rabbit hanging from the small noose it had walked through. As I picked up the rabbit, there was a snapping of twigs in the distance. I stood up staring and pushed Thorin into the brush behind us. He stooped to ground, his dagger drawn and his other hand resting on the small of my back, pulling me closer to protect me from whatever was out there. Everything was quiet as I listened for anymore noises. The walking footsteps started once more and I pushed thorin farther back into the brush, my back resting against his chest. If I had had my bow, I would have used it. But we only had Thorin's knife and the small knife I had in my boot.

Suddenly, branches were pushed back on the far side of the clearing, and an orc came blundering out of the shadows. I held my breath, Thorin stiffening behind me as he saw the monster through the branches in front of us. A smaller goblin came from behind the orc and I could tell he was from goblin town. His pale skin and large eyes looked the same as the goblins that had captures us.

"You said the dwarf and ranger fell from the cliff. Where are they, rat!?" The orc snarled, turning on the smaller creature who shrunk into itself.

"I saw them fall and land at the base of the cliff. If they weren't dead when they hit the ground, then animals must have killed them and dragged them off." The goblin wailed, trying to reason why we weren't at the edge of the cliff where our bodies should have been found.

"Or maybe you lie! If you don't find those bodies, I will rip the flesh from your bones with my teeth." The orc roared, looming over the goblin who fell back on the ground in fear. As I watched the interaction, Thorin adjusted behind me, which led to the cracking of a branch under his heel. Both of us froze in place as the orc whipped around to face where we were hiding.

"Maybe they're not dead at all." The orc mused, walking slowly towards our hiding place, drawing his large mangled looking axe from his back. I glanced around quickly for something to stop him, when I found a small stone. Deftly, I threw the stone to our left, hitting a tree farther in the forest. Both creatures turned to the noise and they both took off for it, hoping that it was us. Once they were out of earshot, I grabbed Thorin's hand and ran the opposite direction back to our campsite.

"We need to leave now before they come back this way." I exclaimed, wading across the brook to what was left of our fire. Thorin rushed to grab the small store of food we had as I dosed the embers with water, hoping that the heat would be gone when the orc found this place. Thorin began to walk along the shore but I grabbed him and lead him across, making it look like we headed into the forest before doubling back and walking through the center of the stream.

"He may be a good tracker so we need to send him the wrong way to give us more time." I explained to the dwarf as we jogged through the water, careful not to slip on the rocky bed.

"We need to get to high ground to see where we are going." Thorin advised, splashing behind me, turning back every once in a while to make sure we weren't being followed. The stream went on for a while but I didn't dare walk onto the shore for fear of the orc. There could be more of them not far off or more goblins helping him find us. As we ran, the stream grew wider and deeper, the current pushing at us more as we traveled down stream, an opening ahead of us telling me the stream went into the open plains ahead and became stronger. Reluctantly, I lead Thorin to the banks, the fear of orcs still present in my mind. I jogged along, looking out into the plains when Thorin stopped suddenly behind me. I looked back and his eyes were fixed on the horizon, a look of disbelief and pure joy flooding his eyes. I turned to see what he was looking at and in the distance, a lone peak stood out in the haze of the beyond, snow capped and solitude.

"There it is. Erebor." He commented, his voice nearly above a whisper. The sight of the mountain caused my heart to leap for joy. There was his home, the place where he belonged. The tiring journey that we had been on seemed worth it for just a glimpse at the Lonely Mountain. I looked back at the soon to be King Under the Mountain and found his blue eyes already fixed on me. There was a wide smile that I had never seen before on his face. I couldn't help but beam back at him, his happiness filling my soul. He chuckled and came towards me, his giant arms wrapping around my waist and hoisting me into the air. My arms grabbed around his neck as he turned us in a circle, his joy contagious. We were almost there! He set me down eventually, but his hands stayed on my waist. His face sobered a little, but his eyes still showed hope and determination.

"Thank you. We wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for you." Thorin said, his eyes taking in my face. I smiled and gave a nod. It was all I could offer him. We stayed like that for a while just smiling at one another, the occasional glance back to the peak in the distance. But the happiness soon faded as my thoughts slowly came back. I knew this river! I knew the slope down into the valley below and the plains that stretched on ahead. And in the distance I could see the forest of Mirkwood. I knew this land! My hands dragged down Thorin's arms as I turned to survey the land, to see anymore landmarks I recognized.

"I know a place where we can rest. Gandalf knows of the place as well. Maybe we can reunite with the company there." I stated, turning back to Thorin who had come to stand behind me. He nodded and gave me a smile, gesturing for me to lead the way. I began to walk down the slope, my eyes looking for any threats, but the hope of reclaiming Erebor filled my mind. We were close and soon Thorin could rebuild the city to it's former glory.

The rest of the day passed with little talk but a happy mood. Neither of us wanted to rest with the Mountain so far ahead of us, teasing us with its snowy peak. But my leg began to ache from the long walking and Thorin was slowing down, though he wouldn't admit it out loud. Trees dotted the field around us and as the sun set ahead of us, I scanned the open land for a place to take shelter for the night. As I did, roaring and great commotion came from behind us. Both of us turned to see wargs charging across the field, but their eyes weren't on us, they were glancing back at something behind them. And not far behind the warg riders was a giant black creature. It was a ginormous bear with teeth as long as my arm. The wargs scattered in all different directions, but the creature saw us in front of him and his large black eyes locked on us. Thorin grabbed my hand and we began running across the plains, the dwarf dashing for the grove of trees not too far ahead of us. The large creature lumbered behind us, roaring in anger and growling with each stride. We pushed on, running as fast as our legs could take us, our fingers interlocked still. The grove became closer and I saw the cabin nestled in the trees with small building surrounding it. I knew this home. I lengthened my stride, pulling the dwarf along, hoping beyond everything that the door wasn't locked. When we passed through the threshold of the wooded area, the cabin door opened and Fili was standing in front of us, becoming us to run faster.

"Hurry!" Kili yelled, appearing behind his brother. I pushed Thorin ahead of me, the two of us tripping over one another in our haste and crashing to the floor of the cabin. The door was slammed behind us but I didn't bother to look up, my forehead rested against the hard warm flesh beneath me as I tried to catch my breath. We laid there for a moment before I was lifted off Thorin, arms wrapping around my torso and squeezing me hard. I gasped but let it happen, not sure who was hugging me but not minding the contact. When the person pulled away I was lifted off the ground by Fili, Kili laughing behind him. The dwarrow laughed and exclaimed their happiness as they hugged and touched Thorin and I. Bilbo was the last to approach us and I saw Took in his arms. The kit jumped from the hobbit's hold and at Thorin, who caught him just in time. I leaned down and hugged Bilbo tightly, glad to see him. He breathed deeply, as if relieving a weight from his shoulders. I let go and the hobbit smiled up at me and a large hand came down on his small shoulder. Thorin handed me Took, who nuzzled into my neck, making happy whining noises as his tail vibrated quickly from side to side. I looked around at the company and joy filled my heart. They were all safe and smiling back at me. Gandalf stood behind them all, giving me a grateful smile. He knew I had done everything I could to save Thorin. I nodded to the grey wizard, chuckling to myself.

"I had hoped you remember this place little Ranger." Gandalf spoke up, relief in his voice.

"In truth, I never stopped here in my travels, but I knew Beorn lived in this area." I sighed, letting Took down to the floor, where he weaved between Thorin and my legs. Suddenly Bombur appeared in our view and grabbed each of our hands, leading us to the large fireplace on the other end of the cabin. They had a fire going and a pot was bubbling above it. We were seated and a large fur was thrown over both our shoulders, soon followed by large bowls of stew and bread hunks. We ate heartily. The warmth from the stew seemed to ease the aches in my bones and I smiled. Thorin shifted as he ate, hi arm and leg pressing into mine. I didn't think of it until now, but that was how we had begun to sit when we were by the river. The contact comforted our nerves in the wild. Even now, it had become habit for us to seek the other's touch. Gandalf sat before us by the flames, his pipe clenched in his teeth. He let us eat for a few minutes before he asked us what had happened.

"I was able to slow our fall with the orc dagger so we didn't die when we hit the ground. Once we made sure we were alright, we found a spot by the river to rest." I said, leaving out the fact that Thorin had to carry me because of my wounds. Thorin nodded, glancing over at me as I spoke.

"We rested tended our wounds there for a few days, but we were almost found by and orc, so we headed down the river." Thorin recounted, tearing off a piece of bread and dunking it into the stew. "We were about to rest for the night when the large monster out there chased us here. He scared a few warg riders to death as well." I smirked at the comment, remembering the large bear chasing the orcs away like a cat chases away mice.

"May I see your injuries?" Oin asked quietly, pulling the furs back to get a better look. He examined my leg, wincing at the sight of the large gashes that were now healed. But he made no comment that they were infected, just smiled and looked over Thorin. When he was satisfied with the care I administered, he went to work mixing an elixir for the pain.

"Ah yes, Beorn is a good fellow when he wants, the bear, not so much." Gandalf chuckled, smoking circling his head like a crown. I nodded, remembering the stories of Rangers who'd come across the skin walker from time to time, sometimes as a man, and sometimes as a bear. He was always kind to the Rangers, so I hoped that the company's presence would not be a bother to him. The dwarrow soon gathered around us as we ate, telling us their flight on the giant Eagles and their trek across the plains until win chased much like us by Beorn just hours earlier. I listened to all of the dwarrow complain or joke and I smiled. I missed their boisterous talk and jokes. My eye soon caught Dwalin, and he was looking at me with a peculiar look on his face, playing with something in his hands, though I couldn't see what it was. He met my gaze and gave me a small smile, but there was something different about the way his eyes looked at me. Sadness mixed with happiness and longing. It confused me but I smiled back, turning my attention back to Thorin. His body had shifted again, leaning back on his hands, his arm pressed against my back as he listened. His warmth was welcome and I rested my chin on my hand, my body leaning closer to his. Gandalf was telling a story and everyone was listening intently. Except for Balin. His eyes were trained onto Thorin and I. He gave a knowing look and then returned his gaze to the wizard.

After a few more hours, the company left one by one to find a corner to rest in. Though I was tired, my body wasn't ready to rest so I stayed by the fire. Bilbo sat with me and Took for a the longest, telling me all about the little fox and how he was while I was separated from him.

"He learned how to hide when commanded. Watch this." The halfling exclaimed in a hushed voice, setting the bright red fox down. "Tooky, disappear." and the little fox pounced away, dashing behind the logs for the fire place. I giggled at the sight and in a few second, the little yellow eyes were peering over the top logs, waiting for Bilbo to call him back.

"Good boy!" Bilbo praised, causing the little creature to chitter and roll around on the ground, grabbing at his tail. We laughed at the little fox until he settled down in my lap, sighing deeply and falling asleep. "I think I will follow his example and take my leave for the night. Good night Frea." Bilbo whispered, standing up and pressing his hand on my shoulder as he passed. I smiled into the fire and watched the flames dance, casting shadows along the walls and ceiling. Footsteps came up behind me and I turned to see Thorin. He and I had changed earlier into new clothes that weren't tattered rags. He wore a light blue tunic and leather pants. He gave me a soft smile as He sat down once more next to me, two large cups half filled with elderflower wine.

"I found this in the cellar downstairs." He commented, taking a sip of the sweet wine. I smirked and took a sip as well, relishing in the sweet flowery drink.

"I never pictured you as a partaker in elderflower wine, your highness." I teased, earning a low chuckle from him.

"There are many things you don't know about me, my lady." He retorted, causing me to scoff at the formality. After we finished chuckling, he sobered. Nostalgia appeared on his face as he stared into the cup in his hands.

"My mother used to drink elderflower wine when we were young. Dìs and I would sit with her in the Lonely Mountain when we were children. She would tell us stories about our grandfather and her brothers. When Smaug attacked, she perished in the mountain, but our Father saved us in time. Dìs grew to love elderflowers so we would drink it together often before Kili and fili were born. She made me promise that when the Mountain was reclaimed and restored, that we would sit in our mother's old chambers and drink the wine she loved so much."

I listened quietly to his story, surprised at the tenderness he felt for his sister. I knew of his love for his nephews, but none of them ever mention her in front of the others. Thorin was quiet for a moment before turning to me.

"Do you have siblings?"

"No." I replied, shifting my weight a little, "I was the only child my mother ever had. I think she would have had more if my father came back to her. She loved him I think. Or at least she didn't love any of the men in the village. I think I would have liked to have a brother or sister." I contemplated, staring into the flames ahead of us. Thorin's chuckle turned my attention to him once more, Took shifting his weight and sliding off my legs and rested against my hip.

"I think you overestimate siblings." He joked, leaning back with his hand resting behind me once more. "We fought constantly when we were children. Drove our mother to insanity many times. And we fought over the smallest things!" He laughed, shaking his head. I grinned and pulled my knee to my chest, resting my chin there. Thorin looked at me with a thoughtful smile.

"I think you would make a good father." I told him, giving him a small smirk. His eyes widened in shock for a moment before he dropped his head.

"I was almost married once." He confided, giving me a tight smile.

"What happened, did she realize how bull headed you can be and run for the Iron Hills?" I teased, leaning my shoulder into his chest. He gave me a playful glare as he chortled at me.

"No she was going to marry my brother, Frerin, but when he died in battle, my father betrothed her to me. We were engaged for a year before I broke it off. She was only happy with my brother and I couldn't force her to love me." He said, giving a sad smile. I nodded at his words, contemplating the hard life Thorin had overcome. He had lost almost everything. No wonder he was so protective of the brothers. They were one of the few things he still had in his life.

"Ranger usually don't marry." I mumbled, "we're too busy being alone in the woods to find someone to love." Thorin chuckled, leaning closer to me.

"Have you ever thought of leaving the Rangers? Of settling down and starting a family?" He asked, studying my face. I furrowed my brow slightly at his questions. When I was training to be a ranger, I took a liking to helping the younger boys with their work and would often be their shoulder to cry on. But I never thought of being a mother.

"No, I never thought of it. But it doesn't sound like a horrible idea. Though I doubt a man would marry me. Being half dwarf usually isn't appealing to either race. And besides, I'm not a damsel waiting for a man to save her. I can save myself. I'm everything men do not want." I replied, looking over at him. He gave me a critical stare before replying.

"Any dwarf would be honored to marry you, if you would give them a chance that is. You are more like us than a human anyway, tougher and not afraid of anything. I admire that about you. You have more courage than most dwarrow I know." He stated, his eyes locked on mine. My eyes widened at his words. I wasn't used to compliments for anyone, especially a dwarf. A smile slowly crept onto my face and I looked away, my cheeks warming slightly.

"You forget that your kind isn't fond of half dwarfs." I chided, turning slightly to face Thorin better. He studied my face for a moment before chuckling and pulling my hair from behind my shoulders, wrapping it around my face like a beard.

"With a little honey and some brushing, we could give you a beard just like any dwarrowdam. None would be the wiser." He joked, studying his "handiwork" with a grin on his lips. I rolled my eyes at him and shoved his chest lightly, earning a chuckle as his hand came to rest on my shoulder, his fingers still playing with my hair.

"No your hair is too smooth and silken to pass for a dwarrowdam. Your pretty auburn locks would give you away to quickly." He mumbled, his blue eyes looking over my hair as he fingered a strand of it. I smirked at him but didn't move. No one had played with my hair this way since I was a child. It felt nice. Thorin's relaxed smile soon faded into his kingly face of indifference and he retracted his hand, looking towards the fire as he cleared his throat. The changed in his demeanor caused me to feel embarrassed, so I dropped my head to look at Took, hiding my red face from him. It was silly anyway. When Erebor was reclaimed, Thorin would be on the throne. He wouldn't give me a second glance after that. I was a passing fancy, if he even fancied me at all. With that, I scooped Took into my arms and stood quickly, causing Thorin to look at me with confusion.

"It's getting late and I am tired. Good night." I said curtly, giving him a nod before retreating to the dark. The company was strewn around the cabin between animals, Fili, Kili and Bilbo dominating one corner of the room not far from a few goats. There was a space next to the blond dwarf so I sat down, the rustling of hay caused Fili to wake.

"Sorry, go back to sleep." I whispered to him, the absence of the fire causing me to shiver. I had left my blanket by the fire and I wasn't returning to grab it and face Thorin once more. Fili noticed me cling the still sleeping fox to my chest and he opened his blanket up.

"Can't have you shivering all night." He teased quietly, his blue eyes gleaming in the dim light. I gave him a smirk and placed the fox above his head, then slid down under the cloth, leaving space between us.

"Thank you." I mumbled, looking up at him. He nodded, his hand coming to rest in front of him, very close to my own hand.

"You and Uncle gave us quiet a scare." Fili muttered, his eyes searching my face for something, though I didn't know what. I shifted and smiled at him.

"In truth, I wasn't sure if we would ever find you again. I had no clue where we were for the longest time and both of us were injured fairly bad. I thought we would have to travel on our own all the way to Erebor." Fili chuckled at my words.

"I would have made everyone wait for you two. We wold be lost with out you, Frea." Fili replied, giving me a sincere smile. I grinned back at him, placing my hand over his. His fingers moved, allowing my own to fall in place between his large digits. The warmth of his hand was a welcome feeling and I smiled, my eyes closing slowly from sleep coming to my body.


	15. Chapter 15

I woke early the next morning before the sun had shone through the windows of the cottage, my eyes focusing on the room in front of me. That was when I saw the large form at the table by the fire, talking quietly with Gandalf. Both were uneasy but Gandalf was trying to appear jovial and not a threat to the man. I focused on the two until I felt something shift on my side. A glance over my shoulder revealed Fili closer than he had been last night, his large arm draped over my hip. Blood rushed to my face at how his chest was pressed against my back and I quietly shifted from under him. He rolled over in his sleep, pulling most of the blanket with him, freeing me from his grip. I let out the breath I had been holding and stood, my boot connecting with a lump of cloth beside me. On the ground was the blanket I had been using the night before as well as my green Ranger cloak folded neatly on top of one another. Thorin.

As I fastened the cloak around my shoulders, I hoped that Fili and I weren't tangled together when Thorin had approached us last night. I shouldn't have cared though, I thought to myself as as I ran my fingers through my hair to detangle it. Thorin wasn't interested in me so he shouldn't have any feelings towards Fili and I keeping warm. My mind focused on the skin changer in front of me as I crept across the barn silently, careful not to wake ant of the company. Beorn was the one to hear me first and his large eyes glanced over at me, a stoic look on his features as he took in my green cloak and quiet steps.

"So this is the Ranger you spoke of." He said simply to the wizard, standing and retrieving a pitcher from the counter behind him. He found a cup and placed it on the table next to his seat, pouring milk into the cup for me. I nodded and sat, taking a sip of the milk, which was sweet and warm from sitting close to the kitchen fire.

"I am Frea, a Ranger from the North. You know my friend, Hamen. He spoke very highly of you when I was younger." I said, politely smiling at the man. His large brows raised at the name of my adoptive father and a smile came to his lips.

"Hamen is a great man, which is not a compliment I give his kind often. He was here only a few days ago. I'm surprised you did not see him or hear from him. Wouldn't tell me what he was doing so far away from home at his age but he has always been a private man." The skin changer said to me. My eyes snapped up at his words and I looked at Gandalf, who seemed just as surprised.

"He shouldn't be alone out here with the dangers about, not to mention he's not as young as he used to be." I worried, my fingers turning my cup in my anxiety for the man. Beorn nodded in agreement, sorrow and worry also on his face.

"He thinks he is a much younger man than he is. I gave him as much as I could to help him on his journey, I pray he makes it to hid destination in one piece." Beorn told me, which gave me some comfort to know Hamen wasn't want for supplies. "He spoke very highly of you though. That man loves you very much and is worried about on this journey you are partaking in. When he told me Gandalf was involved, I understood his worry." The jab at the wizard caused me to chuckle slightly and Gandalf guwaffed at the remark. We talked more, Beorn's eyes glancing at the rest of the company with an uneasy gaze. It was known that Beorn wasn't friendly with many people. Mush like Radagast, he only regarded those that treated the forest and animals with respect as allies. Dwarrow weren't all that careful about their path through life often wasting much food and resources. So I could understand his apprehension of the company.

Little by little, the company awoke and joined us for breakfast, all the dwarrow gathered around the giant man, unsure if their presence was welcome. Fili and Kili sandwiched me between their bodies and the blond met my gaze with a warm smile. Beorn, being the good host he was, began filling cups for the dwarrow with milk and placing out fruit from his garden and some meats. The dwarrow ate appreciatively, making small talk amongst one another. Balin, Gandalf and I were the only ones to talk to the skin changer, which didn't seem to bother him at all. Beorn was like the Rangers, enjoying the solitude of nature and being far from civilization. As we all talked, Fili and Kili began talking to me and joking, which turned into Kili and I teasing Fili for one thing or another.

"You know her spends more time on his hair and beard than an elf does!" Kili pointed his knife towards his brother, raising his eyebrows at me. I laughed and turned to the blond, whose cheeks began to turn a slight shade of pink just above his beard. I laughed even more, my hand resting on his bicep as Kili chuckled beside me.

"Yes, you're both so comical." Fili joked, placing his large hand on top of my smaller one. His warm hand stayed there, keeping my fingers from leaving his arm. That was when Thorin sat across from us, his eyes coming from Fili to out hands to my eyes. His gaze was unreadable but he looked away and began talking to Beorn and Gandalf. An uneasy feeling came over me so I slowly pulled my hand from Fili's grasp, reaching for another piece of fruit.

"So you are the one they call Oakensheild. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you and your company?" Beorn asked, looking at Thorin critically. Thorin's brow furrowed as he looked up at the skin changer.

"How do you know of Azog?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the Orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved." Beorn said, looking down to his large hands. I sympathized with him, seeing the people I once lived with slaughtered by the orcs was an image that never left my mind. I glanced at Bilbo, but his eyes were focused on the manacles on the man's giant wrists. The large man noticed as well, because one hand came to rest on his other wrist and he sighed.

"Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." There was malice and sadness in Beorn's voice as he spoke, and my teeth ground at the thought of his family being tortured and killed for the amusement of the Pale Orc and his vile offspring. Thorin stiffened as well and the rest of the company was silent at his words.

"There are more of you?" Bilbo asked, changing the subject away from the past. He always tried to make others comfortable and the skin changer noticed as well.

"Once, there were many, but now there is one one." Beorn replied giving a sad smile. He was like me, alone in the world without a family. My hand tightened into a fist on my knee, trying not to think about my mother again. It did no good for the company to dwell on the past. A hand come over my balled up fist and I glanced over at Fili. He gave me a small smile as his thumb ran over the back of my hand. I met his blue eyes for a moment before giving his hand a squeeze. He and his brother had always been kind to me and I was grateful for it. They made the journey more lively with their antics, even if it was at other's expenses.

"Gandalf tells me that you need to reach the mountain before the last day of autumn?" Beorn spoke, pulling me back to the company. Thorin didn't respond right away so when I looked at him, I could see his eyes looking at me.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes." Balin said from his place next to Thorin, His eyes also on the dwarf, brows furrowed at his friend's strange behavior. The old dwarf's voice pulled Thorin from his thoughts and he glanced back at Beorn, nodding in agreement.

"I see. And how do you plan to get there?" Beorn said, standing up and leaning against the table behind him, his arms crossed. I knew the only possible way we had to go was through Mirkwood but I had hoped we would have enough time to find another way.

"We will take the Elven path through MIrkwood. It is still safe." Gandalf said, though he didn't look at me. The others did though and they saw the uneasiness in my face.

"Elves are not all the same. The ones in Mirkwood are not like the ones in Rivendell. They are less wise and more dangerous. And your little Ranger is aware of the growing number of orcs as well as the darkness that lies in that forest. You know that your company won't make it to the forest on foot without getting killed, don't you?" Beorn said, looking directly at me. I nodded, my hand squeezing Fili's once more. The Orcs were closer than I hoped and with the rate the company traveled, we would be hunted down much quicker than before. Fili's thumb stroked my hand, trying to comfort me, but his eyes showed the worry he and the rest felt. Gandalf put too much faith in the Mirkwood path and it worried me.

After a long silence, Beorn sighed and picked up a mouse that had been crawling on the floor, saying, "I don't like dwarves. They are greedy and blind. Blind to the lives that they deem lesser. You even treated the two companions next to you as lesser because they weren't pure dwarf blood." The skin changer said accusingly. The company shifted uneasily. The first days of travel came back to me and I remember the cold shoulders many of the company gave me because of the mistrust they put upon me and the halfling.

"But." Beorn continued, Standing up straight and looking Thorin in the eyes, "I hate Orcs more. I will give you whatever you need." I smiled at the skin changer, which he returned and gave a nod. Thorin, Balin and Gandalf went off to arrange everything with Beorn so I stood and walked outside, wanting to warm up in the sun. Some of the company followed suit, wanting to have some time of relaxation before our journey began again. Beorn's home had a small pond under the shade of a willow tree that was filled with colorful fish. Animals roamed the land, and a large garden could be seen in the back by the edge of the large hedge. I walked to the bank of the pond and sat, idly looking at a yellow fish swimming close to me.

"Frea." A deep voice said from behind me. I looked to see Dwalin standing behind me, his eyes looking as if he had something to say but he didn't know how to say it. I patted the ground next to me and the dwarf took a seat, something in his hands once more. This time, I saw what it was. A swatch of blue and green tartan fabric. My eyes grew wide at the sight of the piece of cloth.

"Where did you find that?" I asked, gently pulling the cloth from his large fingers. There had been a rough hem line that I knew so well, but it had been cut away and on the inside was the gold threading that my mother had sewn into the fabric years ago. Caraic. It was my mother's name. She sewed it into every piece of clothing she made, hidden in the hem. She called it her calling card.

"The fox pup had it in his mouth after you and Thorin fell off the cliff. His tooth pulled at the string and when I undid it… There… there was her name. Is she… What I mean to ask is…" he stammered, looking at me with anxious and nervous eyes.

"She's my mother." I answered him, looking at him in confusion. Dwalin stood up suddenly and began to pace, his hand running over his bald head. I watched him for a minute, confused at his actions.

"Frea, I gave your mother that thread the day I left her to go back to the Blue Mountains years ago. I told her I'd come back and give her more so that he could make the most beautiful gold dress. Frea… I. I think… Little one, I think I'm your father." Dwalin confessed to me, his hands coming to fall by his side as he looked at me for my reaction. I looked up at him in shock, not being able to comprehend what he had said. Mother had never told me my father's name or anything about him, but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that it was Dwalin.

"So when you said you knew my mother… you meant you slept with her?" I asked, trying to understand as I stood up.

"I didn't just sleep with her to ease the loneliness of traveling if that's what you're thinking. I loved her. I would spend days in that village, just talking to her and her sisters. I didn't even know she cared for me until months after I first met her. She was the only woman I wanted, Frea. I was planning on asking her to marry me the next time I saw her, but then the village was destroyed when I got back. I searched everywhere for her in the rubble, days of looking. Thorin and Balin had to tear me away from the site because I was driving myself mad looking for her body. I wanted to bury her properly." Dwalin lamented, tears welling in his eyes as he remembered the days he spent looking for my mother. "She never even told me she was pregnant. if I had known you existed I would have searched under every rock to find you and bring you to the blue Mountains." his tears fell down his cheeks and into his beard. his large shoulders shuddered with sobs as he clutched at his heart.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, feeling his large forearms pull me tightly against his body. This whole time, I had been traveling with my father and I had never known. Tears fell from my own eyes as my hand rubbed his back, trying to comfort him.

"And to think, you used to hate me when we first met." i joked after a while, earning a large laugh as Dwalin pulled back to look down at me.

"In my defense you looked just like your aunt, Carrie. And she was married to some short bastard who could have been a dwarf pretending to be a man for all I knew." he laughed, giving me a big smile. I laughed, remembering my aunt and uncle fondly.

"Well I think mother is happy to know that we found each other at last." I said, stepping back little to look at him. Dwalin was my father. It was still a shock to me but I smiled at him. The feeling of knowing who he was was still strange, but a weight was almost lifted off of me.

"This may sound strange," I said looking down at the ground as I wrapped my arms around myself, "but it's nice to know that I still have family left, besides Hamen that is." Dwalin nodded and gave me a warm smile.

"When this journey is over and if we survive it all, I hope you would want to stay in Erebor with me. I need to make up for all the times I wasn't there for you." He proposed. I nodded at him. It would be nice to get to know who he was besides the gruff old dwarf I knew him to be. Balin soon came up and gave me a warm smile.

"So, have you two talked about things?" The white haired dwarf asked, clapping a hand onto his brother's shoulder.

"We have, you noisy old fool." Dwalin grunted, the rough and tough persona I knew coming back.

"I suppose I should call you Uncle now." I joked with Balin, earning a laugh.

"Though it has a nice ring to it, you don't have to call me anything you don't want to. Hell, I wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't refer to this grumpy old mountain goat as Da." I laughed with him, but the sound of calling him Da didn't frighten me. It made me feel like I belonged somewhere.

"Well, if you're done speaking, Beorn told me Hamen left something here for you. Wouldn't tell me exactly what, just to head to the back area over there." Balin said, a twinkle in his eyes. I furrowed my brows and looked at Dwalin, who shrugged at me. The three of us headed to where Beorn's horses were playing and eating. Most of them were black and white fuzzy things that pranced around, but a few were larger and more mellow. There was even a giant draught horse that I knew Beorn probably rode when he wasn't a giant bear. But one horse looked familiar to me. When the horses saw us, this one raised his head as well. A bright copper head and kind brown eyes looked back at me and he nickered, trotting up to me.

"Well hello there! I thought you were lost to the world." I greeted the horse I had bought in Bree. His bones that were once visible over her whole body was now covered by think muscle and a healthy coat. The old scars from his past owner were now healed and just light marks across his brilliant coat. His nose pushed at my hands, searching for any bread or apples that I had for him, and he happily pulled at my pocket where a scrap of cheese was hidden away. I laughed as he grabbed the food from my hand, like when we first met.

"This is the old nag you rode when we first left the Shire?" Dwalin asked in disbelief, looking over the stout horse and the change that had occurred in the time he had been lost in the wilds.

"He must have saw another Ranger wearing the same hood and followed him to our camp in the north. I had a saddlebag attached to him that Hamen had given me. Hamen must have brought him here in hopes that I would find him again." I assumed, coming to the side of the horse and leaping onto him, the chestnut standing perfectly still as I did so. With a little nudge, he began walking and trotting, circling and turning wherever I looked. He was just as responsive as the first day I met him. I smiled as I asked him to canter, chuckling as he hopped up under me before taking off. the other ponies tossed their heads and followed suit, the small herd tearing around with us. Dwalin and Balin laughed and clapped as they watched, other dwarrow coming at the sound as well. Beorn emerged from his house and smiled at me, watching with approval at his ponies having fun. Fili soon came closer to the herd as we ran around, eyeing an almost all black one on the edge of the group. In a few strides and a jump, he was safely seated on the pony's back and riding around as well, not holding on with his hands and he urged the pony to go faster. Soon, he was next to me, laughing as with a kick of his heels backwards, he was facing the wrong way.

"Not bad!" I called to him over the wind. In a way to one up him, I held onto the chestnut's now thick mane and swung both of my legs over to his right side, touching the ground with my feet and then vaulting over his back to touch the ground on his left side before vaulting back up once more and sitting on the horse's back. Dwalin roared a cheer of pride and I smiled at him. Fili and I continued to do tricks but soon our horses began to trot. I gave Fili a wink and carefully, I stood up on the horse's back, my arms outstretched to the side for balance.

"I can't do that Even at a stand still!" Fili laughed, his pony slowing down to a walk. I giggled and slid back down again, the chestnut slowing to a walk as well, his head dropping from all the running he just did. Fili and I soon dropped off the two animal, letting them go back to their friends. We walked towards Dwalin and balin, who now had Kili, Ori, Dori, and Nori standing with them.

"How did you learn all that?" Ori asked in amazement, his eyes wide with winder as he looked at me. I laughed and shrugged, brushing the hair out of my face.

"I learned from a ranger when I was younger. He said it helped when you were in a hurry and under attack. It's harder to hit a target when their horse is running and they are jumping around all over. It came in handy when we ran into orcs." I explained, my fingers combing through my hair to get the wind swept curls under control once more.

"You need a comb, lass." Dwalin chided, giving me a smile. I smirked at him and rolled my eyes.

"Sure Da, I'll just tuck it in my quiver since I'll never use it." I quipped. He laughed and shook his head at me, but the others just looked at us with shock.

"Da?" Kili asked, looking between the two of us.

"You mean, he's your father?" Nori asked me, looking at Dwalin, who huffed at him. He was still smiling and puffing out his chest a little because of the fact that I had called him Da.

"Yes, we figured it out earlier." I laughed, putting my hands on my hips. Fili stood beside me with his arms crossed and studied out faces.

"You know, if you squint a little, she does look slightly like him, without the baldness." That was when Dwalin lunged at him, causing Fili to jump back laughing while the others hooted and hollered. I laughed as Dwalin glared at Fili but scoffed and walked away, patting me on the shoulder as he passed.

"It's strange, when you first met, he wanted to kill you. Now you're family." Fili said as the others left to relax some more. I nodded, kicking a stone at my feet.

"He want's me to—" but before I could finish, Thorin strode over.

"I need to talk to you." He said to me mater-of-factly, walking past us to a more secluded part of the yard. I gave Fili a smile and followed closely, wondering what he had to say. Thorin stood by the willow, looking deep into the water with his arms across his chest. A look of worry and anger across his face.

"If you keep your face like that, it will be stuck that way forever." I teased, trying to get a smile out of him. He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. He was thinking about something.

"When Gandalf mentioned Mirkwood, you paled. Is it that dark and terrifying?" He asked, his blue eyes searching my green ones. I sighed, and stood next to him, thinking back on the the one time I traveled the road through Mirkwood and into the darkness that awaited.

"The only time I went through, I had no idea why Rangers were wary to travel that way. But soon I found out why. It gets so pitch black in the center of the forest, you cannot see in front of you. And you hear things. Nasty things. I was ahead of Hamen and couldn't see him, but all of a sudden… All I heard was screams. They were the screams of my mother and the people of our village. Then there was this sickeningly sweet voice beckoning me to come into the woods. Off the path. I almost followed it but I heard another voice, my mothers screaming at me for leaving her behind when the orcs attacked. Hamen found me curled in a ball sobbing. The forest… It plays tricks on you. It can cause you to go crazy if you aren't careful. I was hoping that we would have time to go around it, a safer way, but I wasn't expecting to be attacked by orc and falling of a cliff." I confided, shivering at the thought of the voices and lights I saw in the forest.

"What of the elves? Did you run into them?"

"No, but that was because Hamen made sure we stayed on the path and away from their home. I have met Mirkwood elves though and they are not as hospitable and Lord Elrond and his people. One was at Rivendell and yelled at Lord Elrond for hosting me for the night and that i shouldn't have been allowed to enter the valley itself. All because I was half dwarf."

"Elves are rude bastards." Thorin growled. I scoffed, giving him an incredulous look. "What?" he asked in confusion.

"Not long ago, you were also a rude bastard to me." I retorted, chuckling as Thorin dropped his head.

"That I was, but I have grown, have I not?" He asked, giving me a warm smile. Whenever he smiled, I had to smile back, like it was something I could never control.

"That you have, though you were fairly stubborn about it." I teased, pushing my shoulder into him. He chuckled, leaning back into me.

"Do not worry about Mirkwood. If everyone listens to me and we stay on the path, nothing will happen." I reassured him, placing my hand on his crossed arm. He sighed and placed his hand on top of mine. It was funny, when Fili did this, I never felt anything. But when Thorin's hand touched mine gently, warmth flooded my body and my mood lifted. I smiled even more at him, which he returned before sobering slightly.

"Fili has feelings for you." He stated, letting his hand drop from mine.

"And?" I asked, confused as to why he would tell me something like this. It was apparent that the dwarf would flirt with me, but he was nothing more than a friend to me.

"I thought… Last night when— The way you two act, I thought you cared for him as well." Thorin said, equally confused. I furrowed my brows once more at him.

"I only see Fili as a friend. And besides, he will be heir to the throne one day, he wouldn't want to marry a half dwarf ranger. I'm nothing compared to him in that position." I told him, hugging my arms around me. Thorin looked at me in concern.

"You are not nothing, Frea. You're a natural leader. If I could have y— a woman like you as my wife, I would be the luckiest dwarf king on the Earth." Thorin mumbled, physically turning me towards him so I could look him in the eye. I held his gaze as he studied my face, letting the wind play with my hair as I looked at him. Thorin's hand reached up and tucked the wild auburn locks behind my ear, only to have them fly about again. I chuckled, trying to throw the plait of curls behind my shoulder.

"You need to tame that beast." Thorin chuckled. I giggled at him, rolling my eyes.

"When I was younger, my mother said the same thing and would braid it so well, it never moved. I could never get it to do that. I used to call it her magic spell." I told him, looking down at the ground beneath us.

"Well, lucky for you, I grew up with a sister. She taught, well more like forced meta learn how to braid her hair and I unfortunately never forgot." He replied, taking my hand and leading me to the base of the willow tree and sitting on the ground, pulling me down to sit in between his legs as he leaned against the trunk of the willow. I blushed but let him run his fingers gently through my hair, making sure it was smooth and free of knots. As he worked, we talked idly about Erebor, the rangers, and places we had traveled before the company set out. It took a while for the job to be done because my hair was so thick and long, but once he had finished, Thorin leaned forward, his back pressed against mine and held a smooth coin shaped disk in front of me. The braid fell over my shoulder and I could see the intricate pattern he had done. I gasped slightly as I ran my finger gently along the plait until the end, where a strip of leather held it in place. On the ends of my hair was one of the beads I had seen Thorin and the brothers wear in their hair and beards. It was silver with the symbol of Erebor pressed into the small bead.

"It's beautiful." I commented, my eyes fixed on the small bead.

"It suits a warrior princess like you." Thorin teased, his chest still pressed against my back. I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled, which he returned, showing me his white teeth. Being so close to him, I could see the faint dark circles under his eyes from worrying and the wrinkles forming on the corners of his smile when he lifted the corners of his mouth. But it was his eyes that mesmerized me. They weren't just a pale blue, but flecks of dark blue and even a little green were mixed in.

"Has anyone ever told you you have the nicest eyes?" I said without thinking, a blush coming to my face as I said the words. Thorin let out a breath through his nose and shook his head, still looking at me.

"You would be the first."

"Well, it's true."

"Thank you." Thorin said, his eyes leaving mine to look down my face. I smiled at him as he did so before he began leaning closer, his eyes looking back to mine before glancing at my lips. My heart raced for a moment, not sure what he was doing until I felt his lips brush against mine. I sat still for a moment before closing my eyes and leaning toward him and pressing my lips against his once more. It was warm and calming. My heart slowed and I felt relaxed as he moved his mouth against mine slowly. after a moment, he pulled away and looked down at me. I must have still looked shocked because the small smile on his face faltered and he leaned away, not looking me in the eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said in his monotone voice, standing up behind me and brushing himself off. I stood as well and grabbed his hand as he began to pace off.

"Wait. You don't need to be sorry." I said, grinning at him.

"Your face… I thought you didn't…" He stammered, looking at me confused. I shook my head.

"I didn't know you felt that way about me. If you remember, you only just stopped hating me not long ago." I teased him, his hand still in my grasp. He chuckled and turned back to face me fully, his hand clasping mine.

"What a fool I was to hate you. You have been there for me even when I was cruel to you. I was actually surprised you didn't slap me for kissing you." He confided, looking down at our hands. I laughed at his statement.

"If you had kissed me when we first met, then I would have." Which caused him to scoff once more, "But things change, and so do people." Thorin looked up at me and smiled, his free hand coming to my neck and paling my head closer. His lips pressed against my forehead gently. I smiled as I smelled the beard oil Beorn had found hidden away in his home. It smelled of cinnamon and pine.

"We can't kiss in front of the company, you know that, right?" I asked him, pulling away slightly to look him in the eye. His thick brows furrowed once more.

"Why can't I?" he pouted like a child causing me to laugh.

"Because, Dwalin is my father. And even though we just found out, he has taken it upon himself to be the best father ever to me. If he finds out, he may kill you before you even get to Erebor. Let's deal with one angry beast at a time, Smaug first and then my father." Thorin looked surprised at the news but chuckled. We sat under the tree once more and discussed how Dwalin knew my mother. It was so peaceful by the pond that it almost made me forget the long perilous journey to come and the inevitable battle with Smaug.


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning, the ponies and horses were saddled and packs of food and water were distributed throughout the company and before the sun had fully risen, we were waving goodbye to Beorn, who now held the small Took in his arms, and running across the open plains to Mirkwood ahead. Thorin and I rode close together, Gandalf not far behind. It didn't take us long to get to the edge of the wood and the foreboding feeling of once again walking through the cursed forest caused my stomach to rise into my throat.

Gandalf dismounted his bay mare and walked into the pathway leading into the forest. I dismounted my horse and patted his neck. He had been uneasily stamping and pawing the ground once we stopped by the dark and sick forest. Thorin stood beside me, his eyes scanning the shadows between the trees for threats. We were both uneasy so my hand slipped into his, my fingers squeezing his for comfort. He looked down at me with a smile but his eyes looked the same as they had yesterday. Worry and fear mixed in the blues of his eyes.

"Frea, the Elven Gate, here lies our path through Mirkwood." Gandalf called to me, placing a hand on the arch he stood under. I nodded, letting out a breath I wasn't aware I had been holding.

"There's no sign of orcs, luck is on our side." Dwalin said, dismounting on the other side of me. My hand slipped from Thorin's as I gave Dwalin a smile.

"Set the ponies loose." The old wizards voice called, still looking into the entrance of the woods. "Let them return to their master."

With a sigh, I pulled the pack of food from my horse, who watched me and the forest simultaneously. When I stood at his head, he pressed his forehead into my chest. One by one, the other ponies took off back home, whinnying and bucking at the dark forest, as if to run away from the evil they sensed.

"I'll be back to get you. I promise." I whispered to the horse, scratching at his ear and giving his long forelock a tug. He lifted his muzzle to my face and breathed his warm breath onto my cheeks before tossing his head and galloping after his new friends.

"This forest feels sick." I heard Bilbo say as he walked to where Gandalf stood. "There's no way around?"

"Not unless you go north two hundred miles or twice that to the south." The wizard replied, looking back at me for conformation. I didn't respond though. Had we not had as many set backs as we did, I could have taken them to the north and found a safer passage. And Gandalf knew this for he gave me an apologetic look for the state of events in front of us.

He went silent for a second and then turned to look at Ori who had finished unsaddling the last pony and made to take off the saddle from Gandalf's mare.

"Not my horse. I need it." The grey wizard ordered, striding back to the dwarf and the horse. I furrowed my brow as the company became uneasy. That was when a voice came to me.

" _You must not let the company stray from the path, Little Ranger._ " The voice said, almost singing the words to me. I recognized it as the voice from the lady of Lothlorien and looked around for her, but she was nowhere in sight. " _If they lose their way, they may never find their way out of the forest again. The prophecy needs to be fulfilled and it is close to coming to pass. Do not lose hope now, young one. The stone has yet to crumble but it shall not come to pass so long as you are there with them._ " And with that her voice was gone.

"Frea." Gandalf called to me, pulling me from the voice of Galadriel. I looked up at the wizard and he had a knowing look about him. "I'll meet you on the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. No one should enter the mountain without me." I nodded at his words, giving him a stoic face. I was not pleased that he was leaving at the most dangerous part of our journey before reaching the Lonely Mountain, but if the Lady in White spoke to him as she had to me, she must have spoke of something far more pressing than the forests of Mirkwood. And with that, Gandalf spurred his horse away from us.

Thorin turned to me and gave me a nod before turning to the rest of the company. Bilbo looked at me with fear in his eyes, but he rolled his shoulder and tried to be brave.

"Come on. We must be through the forest before Durin's Day." He said, walking towards the path. I stepped in line with him, letting the shaded darkness envelope me as we passed under the gnarled branches above. No one spoke, for it felt as if any word would bring the attention of unwanted eyes. My eyes held firm to the ground, making sure that we stayed on the path. It hadn't been used for some time, as leaves and sticks lay strewn on the worn stones. We walked for what seemed like forever until Dori shouted from the back.

"Why is there a path leading this way?" He called. My head shot up and I pushed the dwarrow aside until I grabbed Dori's collar.

"DO NOT STOP FOLLOWING ME!" I bellowed at them all. My heart raced from fear of the woods. If he had stepped off the path without a word, he would have been lost to us all.

"The forest is playing tricks on you, Don't let it get to you. It will try and make you think you are lost and going crazy. You cannot stray from the path. If you do, I can't guarantee you'll survive." I exclaimed to them all. The company looked at me with wide eyes and nodded solemnly. With a sigh, I made my way back to the front, where there was now two paths leading in either direction.

"That wasn't there before." Thorin muttered, seeing the new trail as well. My eyes darted between the two, trying to remember anything from before Dori called out. Soon the dwarrow began saying things.

"Air, I need air." Bofur gasped, his brother nodded in agreement,

"Is anyone else feeling the ground spinning?" Oin asked, bending forward to try and stop the movement he was experiencing. A sickeningly sweet smell came to my nose, causing a stirring in my core that I had never felt. It was coming from a breeze down the path to our right.

"This way." I said, grabbing Thorin's hand, his touch sending electricity through my fingers. Our eyes met at the strange feeling and His eyes read something I had never seen. I couldn't place the animalistic look in his gaze. But my eyes soon looked down to the path to the left, following the stones once more.

"How come we didn't go right?" Bilbo asked, not far behind me. I took a deep breath of the once again musty air that I knew only came from the rotting undergrowth.

"There was a different smell coming from the right. And a breeze. We haven't even passed the middle of the forest yet, there is no way for there to be a breeze in here." I explained, my eyes once again looking at everything to make sure that we were on the correct path. Bilbo didn't say another word, probably focusing on keeping his mind free from illusions. As we continued, it continually got darker and darker. I couldn't see the other dwarves behind me past Fili who was three feet behind Thorin and I. The only reason I knew the others were there was the constant talking and complaining of the company. But suddenly, even Fili was lost to me in the darkness.

"Fili." I called, checking that he was still there, but suddenly, all the talking stopped and the forest was deadly quiet. Thorin looked at me and I could barely see the confusion in his eyes. Both of us called to the dwarrow, trying to hear them, but there was no answer.

"No. No this can't be happening." I exclaimed, putting a hand to my forehead. "The forest tricked us. It separated the others from us." I panicked, looking over at Thorin. He was worried as well, looking around in the darkness.

"We need to find them." He said uneasily, trying to keep calm. It was then that a voice echoed through the thick air. It was a voice I didn't recognize but Thorin wheeled around in the direction of the sound. It soon began circling around us, speaking in Khuzdul and sounding ferociously angry.

"NO!" Thorin screamed, drawing his sword once more and tying to find the source of the voice. He was terrified and I could see the tears running down his face. He soon turned to me and stopped, looking down at me.

"Thorin." I spoke softly, not wanting him to think I was an illusion as well. His hand reached out tentatively to my cheek, and when he felt my skin, his sword clattered to the ground and his arms wrapped around me. Silent sobs wracked his body as he held me tightly to his chest. I rubbed his shoulders with my hands, trying to calm him down. The voice he heard was someone he knew and they said somethings that scared him. He was in the same state I had been in my first trip to the forest. I cooed in his ear, his body slowly releasing the tension. When he pulled away, he looked me in the eyes and study my face. My brows furrowed at him, but he just smiled and kissed my lips softly. The kiss was so tender and sweet that I almost forgot we were in the midst of Mirkwood. Almost.

Suddenly, a whizzing sound was quickly approaching us. I pushed Thorin to the ground and a loud thwack noise came from the tree behind where he once stood. An arrow. We jumped to our feet, backs pressed against one another. His sword was in his hands once more and I pulled the bow Beorn gave me from my back and nocking an arrow to the string. In an instant, we were surrounded by tall figures. A tall blond elf stood in front of my, his bow pointing at my forehead.

"Who knew Rangers stooped so low to recruit dwarves. No wonder you're lost, you can't even find your way out of your hole in the ground, can you?" He sneered, glaring at me. I growled in my throat and before he could react, I was in his face, a punch to the gut brought him to my level and a dagger to the throat stopped him in his tracks for a moment. All the bows trained onto me and I stared them down for a moment. Thorin pointed his sword at the closest elf, but he knew we weren't leaving alive and free.

"Let go, dwarf." The elf in my grasp sneered, his larger hand wrapping around my arm. Reluctantly, I released him, but not without making sure to shove him forward, not wanting my retreat to be dignified for him at all. T he blond stood from the ground, glaring at me as he brushed his tunic of dirt and leaves. Thorin gave a satisfied grin at the sight of the disheveled elf. My dagger was ripped form my hands, as was the sword in my belt and my quiver of arrows. Thorin was disarmed as well and our hands were bound in front of us. They soon began walking through the thick woods, leaving the path behind us. It was quiet except for the occasional push from an elf behind us. That was until a red-headed elf appeared in front of the blond.

"Legolas," she said, looking over his shoulder at us before turning to him and speaking in elf tongue. They had a different dialect than those in Rivendell so it was hard to make out what she was saying, but I heard the word dwarf and I knew she found the rest of the company. Soon we were left with three elves, the rest running through the forest to our right. I sighed and shook my head. Just another set back we didn't need. The elves pushed us on deeper into the woods. A little while later, the other elven returned, our company surrounded by the tall figures, grumbling and glaring at the elves. The elves soon handed Legolas all the weapons, and he pulled Orcist from the pile. A look of anger ran across his face as he lunged towards Thorin. The dwarf held his ground as the elf leaned into his face.

"Where did you get this?" Legolas snarled, holding the sword by its hilt.

"It was given to me." Thorin replied, sticking to usual fashion and not giving the whole answer.

"Not just a thief, but a liar as well." Legolas sneered, point the point of the bad at Thorin's chest. The company was uneasy and we all watched to see what would happen. Thorin held the elf's gaze. The sward point fell and Legolas barked a command in Elven tongue. I was shoved forward with a strong push to the back of my head. Bofur was ahead of me, his eyes looking over the company, looking for someone. When he turned back to me, he looked worried.

"Frea, Thorin. Where's Bilbo?" He asked, causing my stomach to flip with worry. The hobbit was nowhere in sight and The forest was dangerous on one's own. As we walked, I searched the trees for any sight of the halfling, but to no avail.

"Eyes forward." A voice said behind me and I was hit over the head once more. The blow brought me to my knees and my vision blacked out. I heard yelling and fighting but I couldn't tell who was saying what. A hand pulled me up gently, but I soon lost consciousness.

I woke to Balin patting the back of my hand. I shot up straight, soon regretting it as my head vibrated with pain. I hissed and leaned back against the wall behind me.

"I wouldn't rush it, lassie. You have a lump the size of a child's fist on the back of your head. Filthy elves cant even treat their captives with any dignity." He said, raising his voice at the last part, his voice echoing through the large room outside our cell. There was no answer but I knew the elven guard heard his words. After a few minutes, I slowly rose to my feet, my knees shaking under my weight for a moment. With slow steps, I shuffled to the bars of the cell, looking for any weakness. There was none but for access to the lock outside. If I had a small object, I could pick the lock.

" _Abrith_ , step back." I heard Da's voice form the cell next to us. My hand stopped poking at the lock and hung limply over the bars. Elves passed us and Thorin was in tow. His blue eyes found mine and he gave me a relieved look. He was worried about my injuries. I gave him a small smile as he passed out of view, the door clanging behind him as the elves walked passed us once more. Balin joined me at the cell doors, his face pestered against a bar.

"Did he offer you a deal?" the old dwarf asked, hope in his voice.

"He did. I told him he could go 'Ish kakhfê ai'd dur rugnu!' him and all his kin!" Thorin snarled. Blain dropped his head and sighed, shaking his head slightly. I didn't understand the words Thorin said, but I figured it was an insult.

"Well, that's it then. A deal was our only hope." The disappointment apparent in his tone. My heart dropped at the thought. We were so close and we were stopped by Elves.

"Not our only hope." Thorin's voice rang through the cavern. I furrowed my brow and looked at Balin, but he just shook his head and sighed, turning to go sit in the back of the cave. I sat by the side of the cell closest to Thorin. He must have heard me still there for his voice mumbled to me from above.

"I'm glad you are alright. One of the idiots hit you too hard. I wouldn't let anyone else carry you back." He said, his voice just above a whisper so that no one else could hear. I smiled at the thought of Thorin being protective over me, even if it was to carry me to a dungeon.

"If I had a small needle, I could pick our locks and find a way out of here." I told him, running a hand through my hair. I heard him sigh and movement caught my attention. His large hand appeared outside the cell, palm up. My hand rested in his grip and his thumb caressed the back of my hand. The negative feelings lifted slightly at his touch and I smiled to myself. We whispered to one another for a while until we were tired. After a whispered goodnight, We retreated back into our cells and tried to sleep on the cold hard floor.


	17. Chapter 17

Days passed as we sat in our cells, the only light we had came from the small torches. I sat close to the bars, Thorin doing the same so that we could talk if we wanted. Many of the dwarrow had settled in as well and would grumble to one another, the occasional shout to the rest of us. It had to be later at night because all was quieter than usual. With my head resting against the bars, I could see up the path in front of the cells before it turned a corner. Kili was in his cell, playing with something when the redheaded Elf came around the corner. I stiffened, not liking the sight of elves anymore. Thorin must have been able to see her as well, for a small growl came from his cell as she stopped in front of Kili.

"I don't like that." Thorin growled to me, the hatred for the Mirkwood elf palpable.

"She seems more understanding than Thranduil. She may mean no harm." I reasoned, watching the two talk quietly. Kili smiled at her warmly, a smile I had never seen him give another person. It looked similar to one Thorin would smile when we would talk late at night. After a while, the she elf turned and slipped away, but not without glancing over he shoulder towards Kili's cell one last time.

"He best not trust her. She'll be the death of him." Thorin grumbled again as I heard him shift in his cell.

"If I recall correctly, you didn't trust me before either." I chided him, hearing him intake his breath to say something but then exhaled quietly, letting the matter go. He knew I was right. Balin chuckled quietly at our discussion of the elf, his knowing look causing my cheeks to turn a shade of pink. He had noticed that I stayed close to the side of the cell closest to Thorin's and that we spent much time whispering to one another. I could see in his eyes that he suspected us and with the smile he always gave me, I assumed her approved.

"I'll wager the sun's on the rise. It must nearly be dawn." Bofur's voice carried to there rest of us. My heart sank at the thought of another day wasted away in a cell. The sense of dread seemed to emit from the other cells.

"We're never going to get out, are we?" Ori mumbled in his cell. I sighed with my hand running over my face in frustration.

"Not stuck in here, you're not." A familiar voice said from outside of the cells. The entire company rushed to their gates and we saw Bilbo outside mine and Balin's cell. In his hand was a large ring of keys that only hours ago was hanging from the guard who had passed through to check on us prisoners. Exclamation rang from the cells but Bilbo shushes the dwarrow. Even if the elves were far off, the noise of the company could easily travel through the halls.

Thorin was the first to be let out, who then helped Bilbo open the rest of the cells. When Thorin came to ours, I smiled at him and the dwarf gave me a wink of his blue eyes. There was a glint of happiness and hope in his gaze. As I stepped out and passed him, my hand dragged across his arm, the only form of greeting I could give him in front of the company. Da soon came rushing at me, hugging me tightly and feeling for the bump on my head. Once he had finished doting on me, I clapped Bilbo on the back. He beamed at me before noticing Nori and Ori heading for the stairs.

"No not that way. Down here! Follow me." And the little halfling led the company quietly through an abandoned halls to the wine cellars. I paused for a moment when seeing the elves around the table, but they didn't move, their forms slouched over the table in front of them. Wine bottles and glasses covered the surface and one snored lightly in his drunkenness. We slipped pass but not before Fili and Kili snatched a few bottles off the racks of the cellar. Thorin gave them a scolding look, but the brothers just snickered quietly. Bilbo motioned for us to follow him into another room, where there was nothing but a stack of empty barrels and a lever on the ground. I furrowed my brows at the room as the dwarves began to anger at the place the hobbit had taken us.

"I know what I'm doing!" Bilbo exclaimed, louder than intended and the entire group went silent. As I studied the ground, I realized that the barrels were situated on top of a trap door. A grin came to my lips as I stepped forward, looking into the barrels.

"Everyone into the barrels, quick." The hobbit commanded, standing by the lever. Without hesitation, I held onto the side of the barrel and scooted into the large wooden container.

"Are ye mad?!" Da exclaimed, coming to stand in front of where I had disappeared into the barrel. "They'll catch us for sure." He continued. Bilbo gave him a nudge and pleaded with the dwarrow to hurry and trust him. Soon I found that Thorin was squeezing into the barrel with me. He gave me a smile and his arms wrapped around me.

"What do we do now?" I heard Bofur say above us. Even I wasn't entirely sure where this trap door lead out, but I trusted the little hobbit.

"Hold your breath." Was the last thing I heard before a click beneath the barrels was heard and the floor shifted, causing the barrels to roll down, I braced myself against Thorin's chest and took a deep breath before cold water crashed into the barrel. The cold made me gasp but soon the barrel was upright and Thrown and I stood in the barrel, gasping at the cool morning air. The current wasn't strong enough to pull us away yet and in a few more moments, Bilbo came tumbling out of the trap door as well and into the frigid water. When he resurfaced, he grabbed a hold of Nori's barrel.

"Well done, Master Baggins." Thorin called from our position ahead of the hobbit. Bilbo gave a smile and waved his hand forward, signaling for us to head down the river. Thorin and I began to paddle with our hands, gaining momentum until the current picked up, carrying us away from the Mirkwood halls and into the forest. Soon the river began to rush swiftly, crashing against the rocky banks. I held onto Thorin, bracing against him and the barrel as we were tossed about. Waves splashed us with cold water in our faces, making it hard to see. But suddenly, the sound of a horn was heard and as the river bent, the sluice gate came into view. At the sound of the horn, the two elves standing guard there shut the gate across the river, stopping us from going farther.

"No!" Thorin shouted, his hand clenching the side of the barrel in anger. Soon elves were appearing everywhere, but just as suddenly, an orc arrow whizzed through the air and lodged itself into the armor of an elf.

"Watch out! Orcs!" Bofur called, shrinking lower into the barrel. We had no weapons so we were vastly at a disadvantage. Orcs were soon jumping at the barrels, trying to get to us, With a swift punch to the face, the orc clawing at our barrel sunk into the water, unconscious. I shook my hand slightly at the dull pain of the punch , but it was satisfying nonetheless. Bilbo had managed to kill an orc with Sting as he clung to the side of Nori's barrel and more of the dwarrow threw them into the river. Suddenly, Kili was out of his barrel and running up the steps to the lever above on the gateway. Dwalin threw him a sword from an orc and the young dwarf ducked and fought his way to the lever. Orcs surrounded him and as another orc came at our barrel, I pulled one of their daggers, flipped it in my hand and threw the blade towards Kili. The dagger made a dull whacking noise as it stuck into the forehead of an orc, allowing Kili to fight and continue on. My focus soon turned to Thorin and the two orcs in the water when the dull thud of an arrow and a yell from Kili came to our ears.

"Kili!" Fili screamed as his brother fell to the ground, a black arrow protruding from his calf. My heart dropped at the sight and I made to climb out, but Thorin stopped me in time to throw an orc over me and into the water. We both stopped to look up at the young dwarf.

"Kili." Thorin whispered, his voice filled with worry. But my eyes were soon drawn to the dropping of orc bodies and the red headed she-elf running through the forest, slaying one orc after another. The orcs soon forgot about the wounded Kili and turned to face the new threat. In the moment of confusion, I jumped from the barrel and rushed up the stairs to Kili, who managed to drag himself to the lever and open the gate. The barrels began to move once more and I pulled the young dwarf up onto my shoulders and helped him to drop into the empty barrel as it passed. He let out a cry as the shaft of the arrow snapped on the side of the barrel, but I was glad for it. It would getting the point out much easier.

"Frea!" Thorin's voices shouted in panic as the barrels dropped over a waterfall and farther away. Orcs and elves fought around me so I gracefully leapt and dove into the churning waters below, my body being pulled and pushed by the strong currents. I finally emerged next to Da's barrel, where I was grabbed and immediately shoved into the barrel with him.

"I ought to strangle you for being so reckless!" He scolded, but not before throwing his arms around me. I smiled as I tried to catch my breath, the cold water turning my usual tan skin a few shades paler. As we floated down the river, orcs ran along side on the banks, shooting arrows at us and trying to find ways to reach us. When an arrow lodged itself into the barrels, I yanked them out, returning them with deadly accuracy to the orcs. The ones that jumped onto the barrels were met with found weapons and fists. An overhanging tree came into view over the raging river with multiple orcs standing over it. As each dwarf passed it, they reached up and cute large chunks from the trunk, the tree eventually falling once my father's new axe took almost half the trunk away. The rapids of the river soon widened, making it hard for the orcs to follow or attack, the occasional arrow would strike the barrels. Soon there was no arrows at all and the current carried us swiftly downstream. With the imminent threat of the orcs gone, we settled slightly, that is until the current slowed to an ambling pace.

"Make for the shore! Come on let's go." Thorin commanded, leaning over to paddle off to our right. The company followed suit and one by one the barrels dragged across the shore bottom, stopping on the rocky banks. Thorin hopped out, turning and offering me his hand as I hopped out of Da's barrel. With a smile, I grabbed his hand and landed gracefully next to him. His fingers squeezed mine gently before he turned back to the company, his hand slowly leaving mine. As Thorin turned, his eyes gazed at the Lonely Mountain, still far off but much closer than before. The look of soft care left his face and determination set in.

"We need to move. On your feet." He called to the dwarrow. The others slowly rose, but Kili was slower to rise, his knees giving way under his weight as he hissed in pain. I ran to him and caught his arm, holding the dwarf up. He gave me a smile which was more of a grimace from the arrow still lodged in his calf.

"Kili's wounded, it needs binding." Fili spoke up, coming to stand next to his brother. I looked over at Thorin's back, it wasn't like him to care more about moving than his nephews.

"There's an orc pack behind us. We can't stop." He tried to reason, finally turning towards the two brothers. I furrowed my brows at him, confused at his reaction, but I wouldn't question him in front of the company. Balin spoke up as well at this point, the worry for Thorin apparent to me in his voice.

"Where will we go?" The older dwarf asked, gesturing with his arms to the scarce land around us. Da also came to stand beside me, checking on the three of us as he did so. Since finding out he was a father, he had become much more protective in such a short time. It was a nice feeling to have someone like him care about me, and I gave him a smile as his hand rested on my shoulder.

"To the mountain!" Bilbo exclaimed, his finger pointing to the peak. "We're so close." The excitement of getting to the mountain seemed to be clouding the judgements of the others, as Nori and Ori nodded in enthusiasm. Balin shook his head and looked around at the dwarrow.

"A lake lies between us and the mountain. We have no way to cross it!" He said, exacerbated by the reactions of those around us. They weren't thinking logically and it troubled me.

"So then we go around!" The halfling cried, pointing to the edge of the lake as is curved gently around the body of water.

"The orcs will run us down, as sure as daylight! We have no weapons to defend ourselves." Da retorted, pointing back behind us at the threat of being found once more by orcs. I had ignored the company, pushing Kili to the floor and tearing at his pant leg to look at the arrow. There was no point in talking, so I went ahead and began binding the wound. Kili winced and fidgeted as I did so, the painful barbed arrow was biting into his flesh more with ever movement, so binding it would stop some of the movement. As the discussion was settled, the company was either around Kili and I or by the river. As I finished tying the the torn piece of a tunic around Kili' calf, the hairs on my neck prickled. Something was coming towards us. I stood quickly to see a man aiming a bow at Ori, and Da jumping between them, brandishing a branch at the man. The man loosed an arrow and hit the branch between Da's hands and I stepped forward, picking up a rock and chucking it at the man, hitting him in his knee to knock him off balance. Kili had also picked up a stone, but before he could throw it, the man had turned and shot another arrow, knocking the stone from the dwarf's hand.

"Do it again, and you're dead." He threatened, looking at Kili. Both glared at one another. I stood my ground, staring expressionless at the newcomer. He was from Laketown, that much I knew, but I couldn't place him. As Balin approached, I saw the glint in his eyes and it hit me.

"Bard." I said, stepping forward. The man looked at me in shock and confusion. "It's me, Frea. We met not long ago." I explained, the dirt on my face probably hiding my features from him. After a few seconds of staring, a smile came across his face and he stepped forward. The company stepped forward in defense as well, but Bard wrapped an arm around my shoulders. We hugged me in greeting and I smiled. When we had last met, his daughter had come down with a horrible fever and I was willing to help when he came running through the docks of Laketown asking for medicine from his neighbors.

"How is your little one?" I asked as I pulled away. He smiled, the love for his children apparent on his features.

"She is healthy and happy. And you wouldn't recognize her. She was grown since you last saw her, but she still talks about you and your stories." He replied, shouldering his bow. I nodded at him, glad to hear that she was doing well. "So will you tell me why you are traveling with dwarves? I thought you were a Ranger." He asked, crossing his arms over his chest a he looked past me and to the others.

"They are merchants from the Blue Mountains. They asked me for my help in navigating the rough terrains to the Iron Hills. We had a run in with some Mirkwood elves who did not believe us. After a few days in their cells, they believed us and set us free. Unfortunately, the boat they had given us to go down the river didn't survive the rapid upriver, it got stuck on a large rock and we were lucky the barrels came floating down the river like it did." I lied smoothly. Bard nodded until he looked closer at Kili and his wound. The black shaft of the orc arrow was yet to be explained. He knew something about our story was off, but he trusted me, so I hoped he wouldn't question us.

"Frea, I don't doubt you , but King Thranduil isn't known for mercy. And the Master of Laketown trades mainly with the Woodland Realm. He would rather see you in chains before risking their trade relations. There is no one who can enter the town but by the leave of him." Bard said, giving me a look that read he knew more than he was saying. I sighed and ran a hand through my knotted hair.

"I'll wager there are more ways to enter the town unseen." Balin said, having overheard our conversation. Bard looked at him with mistrust, but with the proximity of me in the group and that I had been in the middle of the company when he arrived, he knew that I trusted the dwarrow. And he also knew my trust was not easily won.

"Aye. But for that, you need a smuggler." Bard said skeptically. I rolled my eyes at him, knowing he would have risked his life for anyone if it meant sticking his thumb to the Master of Laketown. Though I had not seen the man in my travels, stories of his greed were rampant in the town, just as bad as the rats that hopped from dock to dock.

"For which we will pay handsomely." Balin offered, giving the man a smile. Bard looked at me once more and I gave him a nod. He knew I would make the dwarrow keep their word. With a pause, Bard nodded, allowing the company aboard his boat.''

 **So sorry for not updating, my old laptop broke and things came up and I only just found the time and**

 **energy to update. I hope you all like the two new chapters! Let me know what you guys think!**

 **I will try and update again more regularly as well**


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